Reduced air traffic flow at Gatwick Airport has prompted renewed calls on the government to grant regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) more powers over the industry.
Having been forced to reduce the number of flights due to a bout of staff illness, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has been blamed for causing UK cancellations once again.
Airlines and consumer groups alike have called for the air traffic controller to be held to account as a result, given some 165 flights to and from the airport this week could be affected.
“Consumers are paying record amounts of money for flights they can no longer trust will go ahead,” consumer group Which? said.
“To help end this cycle of miserable passenger experiences, the prime minister must play his part and prioritise legislation to give the CAA stronger enforcement powers.”
easyJet PLC, which looks set to be the worst affected airline, repeated calls for an investigation to be opened into NATS.
Though Covid-19 was mentioned among the reasons that have seen a third of NATS’ Gatwick staff currently off work, easyJet urged more be done to mitigate future disruption.
Rival budget carrier Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) went as far as calling for the resignation of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe.
Just three flights were cancelled at Gatwick on Tuesday, according to tracking website FlightAware, though more disruption looks set for later this week as departures and arrivals are capped at 800 until Sunday.