• 

  easyJet

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  U2/EZY (UK) | EC/EJU (Europe) | DS/EZS (Switzerland)

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Geneva Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Luton Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport

  Year Founded:

  1995

  CEO:

  Johan Lundgren

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, has said that Brexit is to blame for the massive staff shortages at airports across the UK. Lundgren claimed that easyJet now has to reject up to 40% of applications from EU nationals because of Brexit.

Brexit contributing to staff shortages

As the UK continues to suffer from staff shortages, easyJet's CEO has weighed in with his perspective. Johan Lundgren claims that his airline has had to reject around 8,000 job applications from European Union (EU) citizens as they did not have permission to work in the UK.

Lundgren told The Independent,

"The pool of people is smaller, it’s just maths. We have had to turn down a huge number of EU nationals because of Brexit. Pre-pandemic we would have turned down 2-2.5% because of nationality issues. Now it’s 35-40%."

This contradicts claims made by the UK's aviation minister, Robert Courts, who told MPs on a business committee that "on the evidence we have, it looks as if Brexit has little if anything to do with it."

After the UK officially left the EU on March 29 2019, any EU citizen wishing to work in the country must successfully apply for a Skilled Worker Visa, which includes a certificate of sponsorship from a future employer.

Ryanair head Michael O'Leary expressed similar sentiments last week, claiming that "Brexit has been a shambles." The airline has launched rescue flights following UK cancelations, operating around 200 flights to 19 destinations for travelers affected by cancelations by easyJet, British Airways, and TUI.

easyJet continues to axe flights

As Simple Flying explored last week, easyJet will proactively cancel 40 flights per day over June to avoid more last-minute cancelations that have dismayed thousands of travelers over the past few months.

CEO Lundgren said,

"If you have a flight booked on the day and it gets canceled, of course you will be disappointed and upset. We have to deal with it and do the best we can. I can’t tell you how many flights will be impacted."

The airline will continue to cut flights, particularly at Gatwick Airport after the airport introduced flight movement caps of 825 per day in July and 850 in August.

Lundgren added,

"Coupled with airport caps, we are taking pre-emptive actions to increase resilience over the balance of summer, including a range of further flight consolidations in the affected airports, giving advance notice to customers, and we expect the vast majority to be rebooked on alternative flights within 24 hours."

After projecting a return to around 97% of its pre-pandemic capacity in May, easyJet reached approximately 90% due to forced flight cancellations.

Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.

Travel disruption continues

The UK air travel industry continues to suffer from widespread delays and cancelations. Airports are struggling to keep up with demand, particularly in the baggage department, largely due to staff shortages.

Heathrow Airport recently requested airlines based at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 to cut flights by 10% on Monday, affecting around 5,000 passengers and 30 flights.

Simple Flying took a closer look at clusters of baggage piled up at Heathrow Airport amid luggage system issues, with scores of passengers yet to receive their baggage.

Do you think Brexit is to blame for the widespread staff shortages across UK airports? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.