Covid-19: EasyJet cancels flights due to high levels of staff sickness

Airline easyJet said on Monday it had been forced to cancel some flights to and from Britain after a new surge of Covid-19 left it facing higher than normal staff sickness levels.

England, which dropped all its coronavirus restrictions earlier this year, has seen a new surge in Covid-19 in recent weeks, with one in 13 people believed to have been infected in the week ending March 26, the highest since the pandemic began.

While hospitalisation levels are well below previous peaks in 2020 and 2021, companies are reporting disruptions to their services, including at airports, due to staff needing to stay at home.

EasyJet said it had taken action to mitigate the disruption by rostering additional standby crews, however it had been forced to make some cancellations and would consolidate flights where it had multiple options, to reduce the impact.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to customers on affected flights," it said in a statement. "Customers have been contacted and provided with their options which include rebooking onto an alternative flight or receiving a voucher or full refund."

People testing positive for Covid-19 no longer need to self-isolate according to the law but companies are advising them to stay at home.