Vetting of airport staff fast-tracked to ease travel delays

SECURITY checks on aviation staff will be fast tracked in an attempt to cut delays at Britain’s airports.

The Department for Transport said it was speeding up the vetting process for new staff to help tackle the travel chaos that has plagued travellers for months.

Yesterday holidaymakers faced more disruption, with thousands of passengers at Heathrow hit by delays caused by a computer failure that left planes unable to refuel and “horrendous” scenes at the baggage reclaim area.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that by speeding up the vetting of new aviation security staff, the Government was “doing its bit to help deliver for passengers”.

Counter terrorism checks on staff, which previously took up to 20 days, are now being done in half the time, he said. New staff are also carrying out other training while their security checks are ongoing.

Airlines are expected to announce a series of cancellations to UK summer flights this week aimed at minimising disruption in the peak holiday season.

A government “amnesty” to the rules on airport slots is in place until Friday, allowing airlines to change schedules without facing a potential penalty.

British Airways is expected to bear the brunt of the cancellations. It previously planned to carry 1.8 million passengers across more than 9,000 flights from Heathrow during July alone.

A computer failure at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 yesterday left planes unable to take on fuel and led to flights being suspended for up to an hour. A spokeswoman for Heathrow said the issue was fixed, but that it was “likely there are going to be delays” for departing flights.

Incoming passengers also said they were met with scenes akin to a “disaster movie” at baggage reclaim. Adam Kent, who arrived at Terminal 3 from Orlando, Florida, said there was “lost luggage everywhere, stacked between baggage belts, everyone stepping over it and no-one doing anything about it”.

Spain-based cabin crew at Ryanair yesterday announced they were planning to strike for 12 days this month to demand better working conditions.

The announcement came on the final day of the crews’ current strike, which began on Thursday and forced Ryanair to cancel 10 flights in Spain yesterday.

Cabin crew will strike on July 12-15, 18-21 and 25-28 across the 10 Spanish airports where Ryanair operates, the unions said in a statement.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: “Ryanair expects minimal, if any, disruption to its flight schedules in July 12-28 as a result of minor and poorly supported Spanish labour strikes.”

However, she acknowledged that air traffic control strikes and staff shortages “beyond their control” may cause minor disruption.