Frédéric Michel (in Nice), edited by Laura Laplaud 12:33 p.m., June 09, 2022

In recent days, several European airports have been facing logistical difficulties due to staff shortages.

Combined with the massive return of travelers, will the airports be congested this summer?

With the approach of the big departures, concern is mounting and the spokesperson for the airports of the Côte d'Azur advises to arrive earlier than expected.

A quarter of the flights were canceled this Thursday at Roissy/Paris-CDG airport between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. due to a strike by airport staff demanding a 300 euro salary increase.

This is just one example of the hundreds of flights canceled in recent days at several European airports, such as in the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands, facing enormous difficulties in managing travelers due to a lack of staff.

The sector is paying the price for the layoffs made during the pandemic: 15,000 jobs cut in France, according to the Force Ouvrière union.

In Nice, the third airport in France, staff are already dreading the summer.

Expect long queues

This summer, more than 50,000 people are expected each day in the two terminals of Nice airport, which should not escape the long queues.

“There will be peaks in traffic on certain days and at certain times,” says Aymeric Staub, spokesperson for the airports of the Côte d'Azur.

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"Two reasons for this: the first is that we have an increased requirement in terms of security in this period, and the second is that there are still positions to be filled at our partner companies precisely in charge of these operations. security. I am thinking in particular of the screening inspection passages", he specifies.

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Travelers are therefore called upon to anticipate.

"We will do everything we can to limit the inconvenience and preserve our quality of service", assures Aymeric Staub.

"But of course, we invite travelers to make their arrangements, to come a little earlier than they think necessary so that they can board in complete serenity."

Advice welcomed by travelers

These tips seem well received by these travelers met in Nice.

"We understood that there were a lot of controls, so for us, it won't change anything, people have to be a little disciplined", explains a traveler.

“I find it normal to have a lot of secure controls,” said another.

"If you work before and you have to get out of work earlier to catch the plane, it's disturbing", regrets a passenger.

In Nice, two companies share the airport security market and they are currently struggling to recruit.