Since March, social media has been aflutter with people documenting their experiences at airports across Europe. From lengthy Twitter threads posted en-queue at Dublin to viral clips of Amsterdam Schiphol making the rounds of TikTok, with it all eventually trickling through onto news sites.Of course – the media loves a dramatic twist, but airports have always had bad delays, right? Why is it suddenly news? Could two years without air travel have wiped our collective memory?

Before the dark times

The short answer is yes and no. Undoubtedly the boom in European low-cost air travel starting in the 1990s has seen passenger numbers increase year-on-year, with delays rising right alongside it as airports have struggled to meet the rapid demand.

Analysis by passenger rights firm AirHelp hailed 2018 as one of the worst years for aviation delays in Europe, with analysts warning about the unsustainable growth of the aviation industry into the 2020s. In the first half of the year, almost 4.5 million passengers experienced delays compared to the same period in 2017.

Jake Hardiman British Airways Boeing 787 London Heathrow 1

Flights booked before June 8th are also covered under the "Book With Confidence" policy. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Similarly, looking towards Europe's busiest airport, London Heathrow has seen incremental delays at immigration through the 2010s. In August 2012, 100% of passengers made it through immigration within the Border Force's target wait times (25 minutes for EEA and 45 minutes for non-EEA); by 2018, figures had decreased to 98% for EEA passengers and 92% for non-EEA passengers.

While a concerning trend, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 brought a wave of new challenges for the aviation industry. With experts initially predicting a several-year-long recovery period, airports and airlines looked for ways to mitigate losses within the volatile industry as the pandemic stretched on, leading to mass redundancies and lay-offs.

But, with the same zeal that shrunk staff numbers, airports and airlines have been ramping up capacity to meet demand as entry restrictions are lifted across Europe and holidaymakers make a beeline for the beaches.

Overpromised and under-delivered

"Bookings over the last number of weeks have continued to strengthen – both the numbers are strengthening and average fairs being paid through the summer are rising," Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary told Reuters, noting the significant growth in bookings for resorts across the coasts of Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece.

In April, the Irish low-cost carrier carried 14.24 million passengers, a jump from 1.04 million in the preceding April. May was even stronger, with over 15 million passengers onboard Ryanair flights. The carrier predicts a load factor of almost pre-pandemic levels between June and August – reflected right across the sector.

Industry recovery has relied heavily on the backs of its now very-underpopulated workforce, with an increase in COVID-19 absences through March and April causing widespread queuing and delays. Notably, easyJet and British Airways were forced to slash hundreds of flights through the Easter Holiday period as staff numbers dwindled.

Recruitment drives are underway, though, on many occasions, companies have struggled to attract former staff members that have since gone on to find roles elsewhere, creating a new wave of recruits requiring training and security clearance.

"All the companies in the airport just got rid of far too many staff, everyone panicked during the pandemic," an unnamed Manchester Airport employee told local media following the airport's issues in April. "Now everything is picking up again, we can't just get the staff back. It's absolute carnage right now."

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is one of the latest to find itself at the center of media attention due to a lack of staff, having asked airlines to cancel flights to decrease passenger numbers and looked to nearby airports to take on additional traffic.

Predating this weekend's delays, Frank Oostdam, director of the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, slammed the airport in an April Euronews article. "This is bad planning, We have known since January that many people want to go on holiday abroad in May. If you don't prepare for that then this is what you get."

Manchester Airport Queues Over Easter
Airports across Europe have struggled to recruit new staff members to replace those made redundant during the pandemic. Photo: Getty Images

As of June 1, the airport still has around 500 vacancies open in its security department alone, with management turning to negotiate with trade unions to attract staff and make "working at the airport more fun again." However, it is unclear how long staff shortages could occur as trade unions have advised that talks did not go smoothly, and industrial action could be on the cards over the summer.

Within the United Kingdom, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has noted that the wait time for security clearance has almost now tripled, leading prospective staff members to seek employment elsewhere.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has criticized UK airports for their inaction with hiring over the past two years, reiterating that airline bosses should have prepared for the surge in passenger demand after two years of travel closures. Following delays through Easter, Shapps announced that airports would be allowed to train employees ahead of receiving their security approval. Though with the current three-month delay due to a backlog of applications, staff hired on May 1 would not be able to begin work until August 1, likely causing issues through the start of the summer holiday peak in July.

Discover more aviation news here.

Compounding problems

Passengers holding a British passport may have also noticed a change in entry requirements post-Brexit leading to additional queuing when traveling through Europe. One airport seeing the strain is Palma de Mallorca. With British citizens now requiring manual passport inspection and stamping upon arrival and departure, immigration queue times have increased to over an hour. Tour operators and unions have called on the airport to deploy additional police officers at the border to help with the influx of thousands of holidaymakers.

A Lufthansa Airbus A350-941 Registration D-AIXL taking off.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

With staff shortages seemingly limited to only several airports, delays have continued due to the long-term impact COVID-19 is set to have on border controls and travel requirements with the addition of required testing for entry to many countries and varying measures still in place.

Frequently changing rules and digitization of documents have caused confusion for employees and passengers alike. Earlier this week, a Lufthansa flight out of Munich was delayed for over an hour due to a misunderstanding of Korea's recently changed entry requirements. Around 30 passengers were required to return through security to retake their rapid antigen tests.

"There is a shortage of personnel all over. But the number-one problem is the reliability of ground-handling, with new processes and the need to check documents to some destinations," Lufthansa Chief Operating Officer Ola Hansson told Travel Weekly. "We tried to digitize as much as possible, but only 30% of passengers have already uploaded documents for travel. More than two-thirds do it at the airport. It takes time and space."

"Peak times are at the level of 2019, and the Mediterranean has much more traffic than in 2019," added Rafael Fernandez Villasante, Director of Operations for AENA. "It is much more complicated than it used to be. Sanitary measures are still in place. There is uncertainty about new waves. Passengers want to fly and feel back to normal, but they have different expectations of social distancing, ventilation, and waiting times."

Have you experienced severe airport delays over the past several weeks? How do you think airlines and airports need to adapt to a post-covid industry? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Reuters, The Manchester Evening News, Euronews, Wales Online, Travel Weekly