Passengers flying from Stansted face the prospect of disruption this Easter due to work in the departure lounge.
The caution came as the airport estimated that it would be handling 1.3 million passengers over the Easter holidays, making it the busiest period for travel since before the start of the pandemic.
Travellers are being encouraged to “arrive in good time” for flights and to familiarise themselves with all the usual security requirements, with many people not having travelled in the last two years
A total of 240,000 passengers are due to use the airport over the four-day Easter weekend, compared to just over 8,000 last year when Covid restrictions were in place.
Managing director Steve Griffiths said: “While queues may be longer than people are used to at times, customers can definitely help us by arriving in good time.
“We are also keen to remind people how they can minimise any unnecessary delays at the airport.
“The usual restrictions on liquids, sharp items, and electronics carried in hand luggage continue to apply, so we urge passengers to prepare properly before they leave home.
“We also recommend that passengers check for any road or rail disruptions that could affect their journey to the airport, and arrive at the terminal at the earliest time their airline allows them to check-in.
“To prepare for the summer, we began a major recruitment drive in January to fill hundreds of roles in our security operation, and partner organisations like airlines, ground handlers and Border Force have also been recruiting.
“We’ve held a number of recruitment events and on Tuesday (April 5) we will join forces with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to host a jobs fair at the club’s new stadium.”
He added: “A major refurbishment of our departure lounge is also included in our summer preparations.
“We are investing more than £12million in improving the customer experience with a range of new bars, restaurants, and retail outlets.
“Over the next few weeks, passengers may experience some disruption in the departure lounge, so please be patient with us as we carry out this work.
“We are all really excited to welcome more and more passengers back to London Stansted and will be working hard to ensure they have the best possible experience while at the airport.”
Aviation analytics firm Cirium found a total of 1,143 flights were cancelled to/from the UK between March 28 and April 3. During the same period in 2019, only 197 flights were cancelled.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “This is a staggering level of flight cancellations caused by a cocktail of not having enough staff in place and Covid-induced staff shortages.
“Airlines are certainly seeing a high level of demand to fly, but are simply unable to cope with that demand due to a lack of resources. It’s a nightmare situation for airlines and airports at the moment.”
Unite union said the chaos and staff shortages affecting UK airports would continue unless the aviation industry improved its treatment of workers.
General secretary Sharon Graham urged the sector to consign low wages and insecure jobs to the past.
She said: “We warned the aviation sector repeatedly not to use the cover of Covid to slash jobs and pay. This would render it unable to meet demand when passengers returned.
“Now the sector is suffering from a chronic inability to attract new staff because workers are not attracted to an industry where pay is poor and conditions are lousy. It is pretty simple – if you want to thrive, treat your workers with respect and don’t attack their jobs, pay and conditions.”