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'Arrive early': Passengers at European airports warned of travel disruption

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
'Arrive early': Passengers at European airports warned of travel disruption
Ryanair cabin crew in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal will strike this weekend, while easyJet's operations in Spain face a nine-day strike next month. Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

Europe's airports chief told passengers to leave time for delays this summer as the air travel industry struggles to meet surging demand after the pandemic.

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"The clear conjunction of a much quicker recovery with a very tight labour market is creating a lot of problems," Olivier Jankovec, head of the Europe branch of the Airports Council International (ACI), told AFP.

He said there were issues from airports to airlines, ground handlers, police and border controls, but insisted: "The system still works".

READ ALSO: Budget airline passengers in Europe face travel headaches as more strikes called

"It's important for passengers that they communicate with the airlines in terms of when they should get to the airport, and prepare to come earlier than usual to make sure to have the time to go through, especially if they have to check luggage," he said.

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Strikes by low-cost pilots and cabin crew across Europe - including this weekend - are adding to the disruption.

Speaking at the ACI Europe annual congress in Rome, Jankovec said airports had taken measures to improve the situation, which would come into effect from mid-July.

"Additional staff will be coming in July, the reconfiguration of some of the facilities and infrastructure to facilitate the flows will also come into effect in July," he said.

"I think it will be tight, there will be some disruptions, there will be longer waiting times.

READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?

"But I think that in the vast majority of airports, the traffic will go, people will not miss their planes, and hopefully everybody will be able to reach their destination as planned."

He also defended increases in airport charges, after criticism from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents airlines.

Airports face "the same difficulties and inflationary pressures" as airlines, which he noted were putting their fares up, he said.

"Staff and energy is 45 percent of our operating costs, and of course inflation is also driving up the cost of materials," he said.

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