Following hundreds of flight cancellations over the past week, some airline industry figures are blaming government screening processes for the staff shortages that have led to flight cancellations this week.
An unnamed industry source told The Telegraph that vetting “airside” staff for security purposes - a process that involves around 14-15 weeks to complete - is taking “substantially longer” than usual.
The source told the paper that the already lengthy process of staff being vetted by the government is taking weeks longer than it should in England, and months longer in Northern Ireland.
The process involves a potential employee’s previous five years of employment and criminal record being scrutinised before they are vetted by the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) service, part of the Cabinet Office.
Both airlines and airports are in crisis this Easter after cutting hundreds of jobs during the pandemic, with many failing to rehire enough staff in time to cope with the surge in demand for travel.
The result of the clash has been cancelled flights, slow check-in queues and long waits to get on and off aircraft.
The general secretary of the pilots’ union BALPA, Martin Chalk, warned yesterday that the chaos could continue “throughout summer”.
“The chaos witnessed at British airports may well be repeated throughout the summer because airlines, laden with debt… have not yet rehired enough staff.”
Meanwhile the Unite union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We warned the aviation sector repeatedly not to use the cover of Covid to slash jobs and pay. This would render it unable to meet demand when passengers returned.”
Heathrow and Manchester are two of the worst hit airports for delays and disruption, with customers at Dublin and Birmingham airports also reporting delays in recent days.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said: “The aviation industry is responsible for resourcing at airports and they manage their staff absences, although we want to see minimal disruption for passengers during the Easter period.
“The requirement for Counter Terrorist Checks for aviation security staff is important for the protection of the travelling public and the government continues to process these security clearances in a timely manner.”
