Page 34 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1111

Londra Gazete, 23 June 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 7

5,000 people hit by Heathrow

flight cancellations

AROUND 30 flights carrying up
to 5,000 passengers have been can-
celled at Heathrow Airport due to
technical issues affecting baggage.
The airport asked airlines to cut
10% of flights from schedules across
Interest-free loan scheme terminals two and three on Monday.
It comes after problems at baggage
aims to reach 20,000 people reclaim areas, with images of luggage
being piled up high emerging last
A scheme offering interest-free port the financial wellbeing of people week.
loans to the financially vulnerable in vulnerable circumstances" with Elsewhere, EasyJet announced
is being expanded to reach up to a mission to "increase access to fair, plans to cut 7% of its 160,000 flights
20,000 people. affordable and appropriate financial scheduled between July and Septem-
After a successful trial in Man- products and services". ber.
chester the No Interest Loan Scheme The pilot is being funded with The move came after Gatwick,
(NILS) will be rolled out across the £3.8m committed from HM Treas- EasyJet's main airport, said it will
UK from September. ury, £1.2m from JPMorgan Chase reduce the number of flights taking
It's backed by the Treasury but will and up to £1m of lending capital off from its airport during the peak
be run by credit unions and other from each devolved administration, summer season because of staff disruption passengers have faced has left the aviation industry strug-
lenders. matched in England by Fair4All Fi- shortages. over the course of this weekend," the gling to cope with resurgent demand.
The aim is to offer emergency loans nance. Tens of thousands of passengers company said. Airlines have been blamed in re-
to people who would normally be The nationwide pilot phase is de- have been hit by airport disruption Hundreds of flights across the UK cent weeks for taking more book-
turned down, because they can't af- signed to offer small scale help to and flight cancellations in recent were cancelled during the week of ings than they can manage following
ford the interest payments. 20,000 people, who otherwise would weeks. the Platinum Jubilee and half-term steep staff cuts during the height of
The No Interest Loan Scheme is be- have struggled to borrow. If that Heathrow said cutting the number holidays, and concerns have been Covid when travel ground to a halt.
ing run, in part, by Fair4AllFinance, phase is a success, a full-scale roll-out of flights would "minimise" the im- raised of further travel woes during But industry leaders have argued
which was founded by the Treasury could reach 500,000 people, accord- pact of the technical issues affecting the summer. the government could have done
and Department for Culture Media ing to a feasibility study conducted baggage systems. The disruption has been caused by more to support the sector during
and Sport three years ago to "sup- before the pandemic. "We apologise unreservedly for the several factors, but staff shortages the pandemic.