TUI summer flight schedule unaffected by staff shortages – Germany chief

BERLIN (Reuters) – Travel group TUI said on Tuesday its flight schedule and plans for additional reserve planes at peak times remain unchanged despite staff shortages across the aviation industry.

Airlines including Lufthansa have been cancelling flights as lower staffing coincides with booming demand following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and Germany has said it wants to bring in foreign workers to relieve understaffed airports.

“Despite all the challenges due to staff shortages in the industry, the vacations will go smoothly for the vast majority,” Stefan Baumert, chief executive at TUI’s German unit, said in a statement.

TUI also said it had increased the number of employees involved in its customer support and that it had been providing holidaymakers with tips on how to get through airport procedures as fast as possible.

(Reporting by Zuzanna Szymanska, editing by Rachel More)