easyJet has issued a public apology to customers for “failing to deliver the service they have come to expect from us”.
But the company has admitted that more flights will be cancelled this summer.
After what has been scenes of travel chaos at airports across the UK in recent weeks, with many travellers hit by long queues, flight delays, and in several cases, services cancelled in advance and on the last minutes, budget airliner easyJet has apologised to customers and blamed issues such as staff shortages and air traffic control delays for the ongoing issues.
easyJet has confirmed that a number of flights will be cancelled in and out of Gatwick over the coming months, which is in response to the airport’s announcement last week that it would be introducing flight caps to help it cope with a staff shortage.
It’s thought that this could mean the cancellation of up to 10,000 of 160,000 flights on sale for July, August, and September, which are undoubtedly some of the busiest months for air travel, but easyJet has not confirmed numbers yet.
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Read more: easyJet cancels over 200 flights due to COVID staff absences
It is also unclear at this time whether any other UK airports – including Manchester Airport – are to be affected by easyJet’s announcement.
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easyJet has apologised for “failing to deliver” the service customers have come to expect from the airline / Credit: Flickr
A statement confirming the upcoming reduction in flights, the airline said: “easyJet is proactively consolidating a number of flights across affected airports [and] this provides customers with advance notice and the potential to rebook on to alternative flights.”
easyJet’s CEO John Lundgren said the airline was not struggling to recruit people, but that the struggle is rather in getting security clearance for new employees – with ID clearance said to be taking 14 weeks compared to 10 weeks previously – and he also referenced Brexit’s ending of Europeans’ ability to move freely to the UK to work as having an impact.
“Delivering a safe and reliable operation for our customers in this challenging environment is easyJet’s highest priority and we are sorry that for some customers we have not been able to deliver the service they have come to expect from us,” Mr Lundgren said.
“While in recent weeks, the action we have taken to build in further resilience has seen us continue to operate up to 1,700 flights and carry up to a quarter of a million customers a day, the ongoing challenging operating environment has unfortunately continued to have an impact which has resulted in cancellations.”
Gary Lineker set to leave BBC this week following more controversy
Danny Jones
Former footballer and veteran presenter Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC earlier than expected following further political controversies and social media backlash.
Lineker has been butting heads with the presenter for a couple of years now, being suspended by the national corporation back in March 2023 for his comments about language used by the Conservative government, and has continued to take issue with certain aspects of their news coverage.
He has since gone on to share a further video expressing his regret over what he called an “honest mistake”, as well as confirming that he will be making a premature exit from the BBC.
As you can see in the clip above, he says: “I apologise unreservedly for the hurt and upset caused,” insisting that he didn’t see the emoji in question
Lineker is now expected to leave following his final Match of the Day programme this weekend after having already confirmed he would be leaving the role after 26 years at the end of the season.
The ex-English footballer was set to present the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, but given the latest furore, he will be stepping away ahead of schedule.
Having gradually wound down his work with networks like TNT Sports (previously BT Sport) and the BBC in recent years, he has been slowly shifting his focus to his own Goalhanger Podcasts company, which includes several popular audio formats under The Rest Is… brand, including his own flagship The Rest Is Football show.
He goes on to add that he’s “stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all my life.” Since the most recent Israel-Palestine conflicts began, he’s been particularly outspoken on the events. One recent interview with the BBC itself sparked plenty of discussion online.
Gary Lineker, "What's going on there (Gaza), the mass murder of thousands of children is something we should have an opinion on"
Amol Rajan, "The BBC needs to be impartial about it"
Lineker reiterated that he would never “knowingly share anything antisemitic” and removed the problematic post as soon as he was made aware.
Nevertheless, the BBC and director general Tim Davie have been facing pressure to address the situation ever since it happened, with many calling for the household name to be sacked.
It seems the ex-Everton, Leicester, Spurs and Barcelona player has made the decision for them.
As he goes on to conclude, despite expressing gratitude regarding his relationship with the BBC, he feels the “time is right […’ to go our separate ways.”
“Wildfires can spread quickly and cause devastation to the land and wildlife on it,” explained GMFRS’s wildfire lead and national tactical adviser for wildfires, Ady Taylor, “so it’s vitally important that people call 999 as soon as they think they see a fire.”
He continued: “We want people to enjoy the countryside and moorland we have in Greater Manchester, but… [we] remind people to always act responsibly while out enjoying these environments.
“This means no BBQs, fires or fireworks – as they can easily result in wildfires.”
On Wednesday 14 May 2025, a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and interviewed by police in relation to the incident, and then the following day on Thursday 15 May 2025, another two boys were also arrested – with each of the three having now been released on bail pending further enquiries while investigations are ongoing.
Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a large moorland fire in Bury / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Detective Inspector Andy Wright, from GMP’s Bury district, added: “The moorland fire is being investigated as arson following information from a witness and enquiries we have made.
“We have managed to apprehend three teenagers in relation to this incident, all of them have been bailed following interviews with our officers.”
GMP and GMFRS is reminding Greater Manchester residents that if they see a fire in the countryside, they need to report it immediately, leave the area as soon as possible, and dial 999, and if you witness illegal activity in relation to the fire, then you can report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
“Fires can have such a devastating effect, and we are lucky that this has not caused a significant amount of damage, or cost lives,” Detective Inspector Andy Wright concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
20th June 2022 
