Airport staff shortage concerns as two in five workers ‘thinking about quitting’

A survey of 1,700 workers by jobs site CV-Library found reasons for wanting to quit included wanting better pay and less stress.

Only 5% of respondents blamed the current situation at UK airports, where there have been long delays in recent months.

Two out of three of all those surveyed claimed they haven’t had a pay rise in the last 12 months.

Lee Biggins, chief executive of CV-Library, said: “With the industry in such disarray, it comes as no surprise that so many airport workers are considering leaving.

“Attempts to turn things around have so far missed the mark and, with peak season now upon us, urgent action is required.

“Based on our data and the voice of both current and ex-airline and airport workers, if salary levels and benefits were enhanced, the crisis could be severely dampened.”

The news comes amid an air travel crisis which has seen thousands of flights cancelled and many passengers forced to wait for several hours in long queues at airports.

Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, recently introduced a cap of 100,000 daily departing passengers until September 11, and pleaded with carriers to stop selling summer tickets.

However, the Telegraph reported that it has seen a letter from Mark Powell, Heathrow’s director of operational planning, which said a cap of 1,200 aircraft arriving and departing per day could last until October 29.

Many passengers flying to and from the Heathrow have suffered severe disruption in recent months, with long security queues and baggage system breakdowns.

Staffing for ground handling teams at Heathrow are only at 70% of pre-pandemic levels, whereas passenger numbers are at 80%-85%.