Staff sickness has led around 26 EasyJet flights to and from Gatwick to be cancelled at the last minute, the airport has confirmed.
Apologising for the latest inconvenience to passengers, the London hub blamed the disruption on late-notice absence in its air traffic control tower.
The scratching of the flights coincided with Gatwick posting its half-year results in which it had declared a return to “business as usual”.
Tens of thousands of holidaymakers jetting abroad this summer have been affected by cancellations and delays at UK airports in the face of staff shortages as the industry has struggled to cope with the surge in demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “At 07:00, restrictions were put on the number of flights that can arrive into Gatwick due to late notice staff absence in the airport’s control tower.
“Some flights throughout the day may unfortunately be delayed or cancelled as a result. Gatwick would like to apologise for any inconvenience this will cause to our passengers.”
