Easter traffic edges towards 2019 levels but cancellations continue

By Lisa James

12/04/2022

Home » Easter traffic edges towards 2019 levels but cancellations continue

Easter departures from UK airports are scheduled to reach 78% of 2019 levels, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

However, some passengers are still being hit with flight cancellations.

Cirium says 9,212 flights will depart from UK airports this Easter weekend, from 15-18 April.

This equates to around 1.63 million seats.

Figures show departures are up 576% on Easter weekend 2021 and up 836% on Easter weekend 2020.

The busiest day this weekend is scheduled to be Good Friday – when 2,430 flights will depart from the UK.

The largest airline, by departing UK flights, this Easter weekend is scheduled to be easyJet – with 1,952 departures. This is closely followed by British Airways with 1,648, and Ryanair with 1,588.

The route with the most scheduled flights is to be Heathrow to New York JFK, followed by Heathrow to Dublin and Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, flight cancellations are continuing, with more than 100 easyJet and British Airways flights pulled on Monday.

The Independent reports British Airways has cancelled 50 domestic and European flights to and from Heathrow today, with destinations in Germany and Italy the worst affected.

EasyJet has cancelled at least 32 flights so far on Tuesday from its biggest base, Gatwick, including key holiday destinations in the Italian and Spanish islands, plus services to each of the three Milan airports, the Independent adds.

Which? has said more must be done to protect passengers caught up in the latest flight cancellations.

Which? Travel Editor Rory Boland said: “Woefully understaffed airlines have booked far more flights than they can operate this Easter.

“In the event of cancellations at short notice, airlines must uphold affected passengers’ legal rights to at least £220 in compensation and a refund or rerouting options, and provide refreshments and accommodation as required.

“We’ve seen numerous examples of carriers failing to inform their customers of these rights, which highlights why the Civil Aviation Authority must be given stronger powers to act when airlines consistently break the rules.”