Let’s face it: the aviation industry has been struggling with travel disruption for a while now. Flights are being cancelled, bags lost and almost impossible to trace, and staff quitting at a higher rate than the hiring process can catch up. On top of that, the new starters have an average of 90 days before they can even start working due to the strict security regulations for obtaining an airport pass. Most airports in the UK have been struggling during the busiest Summer in a long time, and the passenger demand often did not meet the supply. According to data released by the Civil Aviation Authority, Glasgow International Airport ranked as one of the worst airports for flight cancellations, taking fifth place on the list.
According to LinkedIn, hiring within the aviation sector has increased by 42% after a lot of staff were made redundant during the pandemic. But the pace at which the flight programme demand has increased simply did not match the hiring speed and existing employees leaving. Basically, it has taken until July this year to even out the staff numbers. Now, there are more people entering the aviation industry than leaving, which is great news for anyone planning to fly this year.
Overall, Glasgow Airport had a total of 25,663 flights between January and June, 644 of which were cancelled. This meant that 2.51% of all flights were cancelled disrupting Glaswegian traveller’s plans. However, the average flight delay time is not as bad, with a humble 15.31 minutes. Obviously, in the grand scheme of things the percentage is quite low, as over 20,000 flights still departed and took passengers on their well-deserved holidays.
It is safe to say aviation staff and crew have done an excellent job at keeping the industry afloat over the past half a year, considering the challenges faced. As the holiday season is approaching next, always remember to be nice to airport workers as everyone is just doing their best.