EasyJet hit by Covid-related staff shortages, cancels 200+ flights

Date: April 04, 2022

EasyJet hit by Covid-related staff shortages, cancels 200+ flights

EasyJet, the Swiss low-cost airline, reportedly had to cancel over 200 flights over the weekend, with a lot more delayed on Monday, leaving a lot of customers stranded amidst the rising Covid-related travel disruptions.

According to the budget airline, the cancellations were attributed to COVID-19-related staff shortages.

It stated that it tried to combat the shortfalls through the weekend by hiring standby workers but had to make extra cancellations.

The Swiss airline stated that due to the recently increased rates of COVID outbreaks throughout Europe, easyJet, like many firms, is seeing higher than typical levels of staff sickness.

The carrier has taken steps to minimize this by staffing extra standby crew this weekend, but considering the prevailing levels of sickness, some flights have been canceled ahead of time, focusing on integrating flights where the firm has a number of frequencies, so passengers have more options to reschedule their travel, mostly on the same day.

EasyJet further stated that some extra cancellations unfortunately became necessitated and apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused customers flying on the affected flights.

The cancellations follow numerous instances of travel havoc at some of UK’s busiest airports over the weekend, with travelers at Manchester and Heathrow stranded in long lines to check in.

On Monday, carrier stocks dropped, with British Airways potentially cancelling a limited number of flights as well.

Russ Mould, AJ Bell investment director, stated that if the ongoing disruption persists throughout the Easter weekend, airlines like EasyJet may be forced to lower their earnings predictions.

Mould further added that to make matters worse, oil prices have remained persistently high, putting upward pressure on fuel expenditures. Considering how it has revealed greater fuel hedging, Ryanair is plainly concerned about the situation.

If additional costs are not passed on to the customer, the rising cost of fuel could have a negative impact on corporate revenues of the airline industry.

Source credit: https://news.sky.com/story/easyjet-cancels-hundreds-of-flights-due-to-covid-related-staff-shortages-12581961

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Meghna Singh

An English Literature graduate, Meghna Singh ventured into the profession of content development to incorporate her knack for writing articles across verticals including technology, healthcare, business, and alike for News Origins and Newsorigins. She has also completed her MBA in Tourism and worked as a content creator in the field of product development.

EasyJet hit by Covid-related staff shortages, cancels 200+ flights