In the United Kingdom, more than 160 flights were canceled at London’s Gatwick Airport this week.

London’s Gatwick Airport announced on Monday September 25 that it will be forced to cancel more than 160 flights between now and Sunday due to an unusual shortage of controllers, particularly due to Covid-19 cases.

The number of flights will be limited “800 per day” (at departure and arrival) and this “Until Saturday 1^er October”The airport said in a press release that the decision was taken in agreement with NATS, the British air traffic control authority.

This daily ceiling “Helps passengers avoid last-minute cancellations and delays while Knots resolves related issues [arrêts] Illness and Staffing Limitations », more details press release. 30% of controllers are currently unavailable “For various medical reasons including covid”He suggests.

A huge breakdown at the end of August

“It was a very difficult decision, but the action we are taking today [lundi] It means airlines can fly on a reliable flight schedule.”Stewart Wingate, director of London Gatwick explained, is London’s second most important airport behind Heathrow.

The problems affecting the British Air Traffic Control Authority led to the cancellation of nearly 2,000 flights and many delays in two days after a major breakdown in late August.

The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced an independent investigation “The wider issues surrounding the system failure and how NATS responded to the incident”.