EMBATTLED holidaymakers will face a fresh blow as flight prices rocket, aviation experts have warned.
There have been chaotic scenes in British airports for weeks, with nightmare delays and services axed after passengers have arrived at the terminal.
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Now an EU scheme to cut harmful emissions could force the cost of a flight up by an average of 16 per cent by 2030, Travel Weekly reports.
A report commissioned by airports association ACI Europe has blasted the European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ package.
The proposal aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent of 1990 levels over the next eight years.
But the association says the measures were tabled “without a comprehensive assessment of its impact” on flights.
“The EC proposals will result in significant fare increases,” reps warn.
Brits heading on hols to hotspots like Spain, Greece and Italy will be among the hardest-hit. Demand for services will drop by a predicted 11 per cent.
And regional airports – including those in Bournemouth, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff – will struggle with the impact, the report warns.
The scheme will end up “hurting regions highly dependent on tourism”, authors say.
ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec said the package threatens “unwelcome and unanticipated consequences”.
He warned: “The process will be costly and lengthy.”
Many of those desperate for a sunshine break will already be reconsidering after nightmarish problems at airports around the country.
Last week, a pilot was seen stepping out of the cabin of a delayed plane to help put travellers’ bags on the service from Edinburgh to Edelweiss.
Elsewhere, dramatic photos show hundreds of bags dumped at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 as exhausted tourists were told to head home without their belongings.
MORE HOL PAIN
Misery at the UK’s busiest airport will likely persist for weeks to come after bosses cut passenger capacity by a third until July.
They say it’s necessary to stem the flow of people passing through its terminals.
And without putting measures in place, the airport’s buildings will not be safe, chiefs warn.
Huge queues also built at Stansted over the weekend, with passengers forced to sleep on floors overnight as flights were delayed by more than six hours.
‘SIGNIFICANT INCREASES’
Ryanair is one of the main airlines to fly in and out of the busy airport – but customers have complained of poor service and whopping queues.
And Gatwick Airport announced it would cancel 4,000 flights this summer.
Daily flights will be capped at 825 in July and 850 in August – compared to 900 a day during the same period in previous years.
It means an estimated 80,000 people will have their summer plans ruined.
Easyjet and British Airways are among the companies to axe many short-haul flights from the hub.
The disarray led to tragedy last week, when a disabled man left waiting on a plane fell to his death in Gatwick’s North Terminal.
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport urged passengers to arrive even earlier following disruption and long security queues.
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