Flights to popular holiday destinations Spain and Portugal are set to be the worst affected by mass cancellations at Gatwick Airport, travel experts say.
Gatwick's bosses have requested that airlines slash their flight schedules in the hope that it will ease pressure on airport services as ongoing staff shortages and a surge in traveller demand continues to create chaos for passengers and staff.
Gatwick is now capping daily flights at 825 in July and 850 in August, which will result in the cancellation of around 4,000 flights to some of the most-loved summer holiday destinations, reported the Sun.
Gatwick said it has made the decision after a "significant and rapid upturn in air traffic levels" over recent weeks, combined with a "severe lack of staff resources" affecting companies that operate at the airport.
If the decision wasn't taken, the airport said, passengers would continue to experience an "unreliable and potentially poor standard of service, including more queues, delays and last-minute cancellations".
Travel experts believe that the worst-affected destinations will be Spain and Portugal, and possibly the south of France.
Popular airline EasyJet said it was "reviewing the details" of the cap but insisted it expected to be able to "re-accommodate the majority" of passengers should their flight be affected.
An airline spokesman said: "We are aware of the capacity cap announced by Gatwick Airport and are now reviewing the details to assess what this means for easyJet's Gatwick operation.
"We recognise the need for Gatwick Airport to do this, as airports across Europe have visibility across all airlines and are well placed to decide what capacity is realistic in the current challenging operating environment so all airlines can provide reliable services for their customers."
Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said the airport's decision aims "to help the ground handlers – and also our airlines – to better match their flying programmes with their available resources".
He added: “As has already been the case, the vast majority of flights over the summer will operate as normal, and the steps taken today mean that our passengers can expect a more reliable and better standard of service, while also improving conditions for staff working at the airport.
“I am immensely grateful to all our staff for their tireless work over the last few months to get the airport back up and running, and for helping get passengers away on their travels.”
Heathrow has also been badly affected by the staff shortages, with shocking images emerging of huge piles of abandoned luggage inside one of the terminals. Passengers have been complaining of takeoff delays, mass queues and last-minute cancellations.
