The UK aviation minister is ‘meeting with the CEO of easyJet [PLC] later today’ the Transport Secretary has said, amid the company’s announcement over summer flight cancellations.
Conservative chair of the Transport Committee Iain Stewart called on Mark Harper to give assurances the transport system ‘is going to be resilient’ over ‘concerns that industrial action in Europe will lead to flight cancellations and delays’.
Harper told MPs during Commons Transport questions that ‘no other airline has indicated to the department that they will be cancelling flights ahead of the summer’.
Stewart asked: ‘As we approach the end of the school year, many families will be looking forward to setting off on their summer holidays, but there are also concerns that industrial action in Europe will lead to flight cancellations and delays and people will also be mindful of the disruption at ports and airports in recent times.
‘What assurance can he give me and those families that the system is going to be resilient to ensure they can get away?’
Harper replied: ‘I’m sure (his) question was prompted by one airline making some modest changes to its flight schedule during the summer.
‘No other airline has indicated to the department that they will be cancelling flights ahead of the summer. We’ll continue to engage with airlines on that matter.
‘The aviation minister is meeting with the CEO of easyJet later today to discuss their announcement and my team is meeting with the CEO of [National Air Traffic Services] to get an update on their operational readiness.
‘We’ve already worked with the aviation industry to make sure that this year they are prepared for the busy summer period, so that we avoid the problems we had last year and we’ve received appropriate assurances, but I hope we can reassure those who he referred to in his question.’
More than 100,000 holidaymakers have been hit by easyJet summer flight cancellations.
The airline has axed about 1,700 flights scheduled between July and September due to air traffic control restrictions, the PA news agency understands.
Most of the flights are at Gatwick airport, west Sussex.
source: PA
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