Is it the end of the cheap summer getaway? Easyjet warns prices may rise after Gatwick cuts

It said challenges such as air traffic control delays and staff shortages at airports had resulted in aircraft turnaround times and delayed departures which “have a knock-on effect resulting in flight cancellations.”

They also blamed the a “very tight labour market” and “increased ID check times” for reducing “planned resilience further.”

“This is reflected in the flight caps announced recently at two of our biggest airports, London Gatwick and Amsterdam,” the airline continued.

“In response to these caps and in order to build additional resilience, easyJet is proactively consolidating a number of flights across affected airports.

“This provides customers with advance notice and the potential to rebook onto alternative flights.”

The majority of passengers are expected to be rebooked on flights the same day, it added.

EasyJet had planned to be operating at 97 percent capacity between July and September, but now expects to run at 90 percent capacity. It is thought this will equate to the cancellation of up to 10,000 if 160,000 flights on sale for this period.

It warned the disruption means there will be a “cost impact.”

However, the airline said it believes these will be a “one-off this summer as we would expect all parties to build greater resilience in time for 2023 peak periods.”

Also on Monday, Heathrow asked airlines at terminals two and three to cancel 10 percent of their flights.

The airport is currently facing a baggage backlog which left some passengers waiting for their luggage for three hours over the weekend, Sky News reports.

And last week Gatwick announced it would be reducing the number of daily flights during July and August to help tackle staffing issues.