Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) has called for the resignation of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) boss Martin Rolfe over disruption at Gatwick Airport, expected this week.
Following news that Gatwick Airport had been forced to reduce the number of flights it can handle over the coming days as air traffic controllers are hit by a bout of illness, including Covid-19, Ryanair called on regulators to intervene.
"NATS has been a shambles for years," the Irish airline said through a spokesperson.
"It is unacceptable that airlines have been asked to cancel flights to [and] from Gatwick Airport for the next six days as a result of NATS’s failure to adequately staff UK air traffic control."
Nearly 170 flights could be affected after the airport placed a daily limit on the number of arrivals and departures until Sunday, 1 October.
No more than 800 flights will pass through the single-runway airport each day before then, meaning a peak of 65 scheduled journeys will have to be cancelled or relocated on Friday.
"Given the levels of sickness we have experienced over the last few weeks we believe it is the responsible thing to do to limit the number of flights this week in order to reduce the risk of daily disruption to passengers using the airport,” air traffic controller NATS said.
Around a third of those who work in Gatwick’s air traffic control tower are currently off sick, NATS explained, including with Covid-19.
easyJet PLC looks set to be the worst affected airline, with chief executive John Lundgren backing reduced operations but urging NATS and Gatwick to work to prevent future issues.
“Our call for a more wide-ranging review of NATS remains so the broader issues can be examined,” he said.
A fault that caused NATS’ system to shut down in August had been responsible for a week of travel chaos that saw thousands of flights cancelled and some 300,000 passengers hit.