27 May 2022by James Chapple
The boss of Birmingham airport has warned the staffing issues plaguing UK airports are likely to continue throughout the summer season, and potentially into autumn.
Nick Barton told Sky News staffing levels were still “about 15% short”, citing a 10-12 process for new recruits to complete their training and receive the necessary security clearances.
Chief executive Barton’s warning on Friday (27 May) comes after months of disruption at UK airports, which are struggling to recruit sufficiently to meet post-Covid passenger demand, now the UK’s inbound travel restrictions have been all-but completely lifted.
Last month, transport secretary Grant Shapps said the government would lay new legislation to allow airports to start training new staff while they awaits security clearance.
Currently, this screening takes place before any training can begin. Shapps said while he couldn’t compromise…