The flag carrier airline of Switzerland, SWISS, has said that more disruption to flights this summer is unavoidable. Faced with staff shortages at airports and airlines, the international company confirmed that more flights will be cancelled between August and October.
Responding to a request from Blick, SWISS explained that "further cuts, unfortunately, cannot be avoided in the coming months due to resource constraints and operational challenges across the airline industry." It follows a similar announcement earlier in June, when the company cancelled 2 percent of its services between July and August, leaving 30.000 passengers without flights.
While the company declined to say which routes would be affected by the announcement, a spokesperson estimated that between 1 and 9 percent of SWISS flights between August and October will be cancelled. Passengers who are affected will be informed and given the opportunity to rebook.
The high demand for travel this summer has led to major disruption for airlines and airports around the world. Most prominently, Amsterdam Schiphol continues to suffer from mass delays and disruption and experts have warned the chaos could spread to Switzerland.
SWISS blamed the new bought of cancellations on a lack of workers at the airline and at airports. Many airline employees lost their jobs during COVID and chose to find work in a different sector while the industry remained shut down, leading to the staff shortages seen today.
Those that still work at the airport are now under greater pressure due to the high demand and a lack of staff. Already, workers at Swissport, the main baggage handler in Switzerland, have threatened strike action over pandemic-era work contracts and salaries.
SWISS’ parent company, Lufthansa, has also announced that it will be cutting back services this summer. Faced with their own staff shortages and looming disruption, Lufthansa has said that they do not expect a “return to normal” until the end of the year.