Air Travel Chaos in European Countries to Continue Into Fall

The chaos caused by air travel is set to continue during the fall season, particularly in European countries, due to the significant labour shortages as well as strikes that continue to impact operations at the major airlines as well as airports.

Among the most notable disruptions were reported in Spain, where the staff of Ryanair planned weekly strikes for the rest of the year, for a period from August 15 until January 7, 2023, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

At the same time, authorities in Portugal also called on passengers to avoid travelling after they could be subject to delays or flight cancellations.

The calling came after at the end of this month, the civil aviation workers from Portugal’s Civil Aviation Workers’ Union (SNTAC) as well as the Commercial Aviation Staff (SQAC), together with the Commercial Aviation Staff Union, stressed that they plan industrial action for a period between August 19 until August 21.

In addition, the Portuguese aviation union also stressed that it would be wise not to travel to Portugal on the dates mentioned above.

“Only by doing this [the strike] can we achieve what the company has been missing for a long time: social stability, respect for the rights of workers and, fundamentally, for people,” the unions stressed in this regard.

The CEO of the Irish airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, recently said that there would be no more €10 ($10.33) flights, pointing out that the era of super cheap travel is over.

“We think that €40 needs to edge up towards maybe €50 over the next five years. So, the £35 average fare in the UK will rise to maybe £42 or £43,” he pointed out.

Airlines in countries worldwide have suspended over 25,000 flights from their flights scheduled for August, with about 60 per cent of them in European countries.

The increase in the number of flight cancellations comes after staff shortages as well as other shortages and other issues with airports in Europe.

According to the recent data provided by Cirium reveals that Europe is the most affected zone. Up to this point, a total of 15,788 flights that were scheduled to fly in August have been cancelled in Europe.

Authorities in the European countries previously imposed strict entry rules and other restrictions in order to contain the further spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants; however, such preventive measures profoundly affected many sectors, causing significant financial losses, especially in the travel and tourism sector.