LONDON – The second-busiest airport in London has reduced the number of operational flights due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
Gatwick Airport took the decision after the pandemic affected the staff of air traffic control and consequently, the airport set a daily limit of 800 flights, affecting both arrivals and departures.
The measures will stay in place until Sunday and National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed that the decision was taken given the levels of sickness experienced over the last few weeks.
The airport said that around 30 per cent of staff in the division within the air traffic control suffered from the pandemic, with some of them even having COVID-19.
Besides, the daily cap will not enable last-minute cancellations and delays for passengers while National Air Traffic Services returns to normalcy, Schengenvisainfo reported.
The severity of the crisis can be gauged from the fact that on September 25th, 50 flights to and from the London airport were cancelled or diverted; EasyJet made the most cancellations, with 42 flights affected.
The Airport’s Chief Executive, Stewart Wingate, highlighted that the flights were reduced to prevent further spread, acknowledging that it was a difficult decision
We are working closely with NATS to build resilience in the control tower, and this decision means we can prevent as many disruptions as possible, Wingate said.
The Covid-19 has affected travel for more than three years across the globe but the social distancing protocols were largely lifted in recent months; however, the decision by the management of Gatwick confirms that the pandemic still can disrupt routine lives of flyers.
As far as statistics are concerned, the official UK government website for data and insights on coronavirus (COVID-19) implies that 10,195 positive cases of the infection have been reported between September 10 and September 16 and around 2,767 people have been hospitalised due to the COVID-19 virus during this period.
