More troubles for Transavia; 32 canceled flights last week

Transavia canceled 32 flights last week. That is over twice as many as the 14 flights per week the budget airline canceled at the beginning of July, even after correcting for the global Windows outage that impacted air traffic in mid-July, EU Claim told the Telegraaf.

It was another blow for the KLM subsidiary, which has been struggling to phase in new Airbus planes and train pilots amid staff shortages. “We had to deal with damaged aircraft at remote stations, which disrupted operations,” a Transavia spokesperson told the newspaper about the large number of canceled flights last week. “We also have a shortage of technicians.”

According to Piet Visser of the Dutch Union of Aviation Technicians, a Transavia plane in Brussels was damaged by a luggage trolley. “But we have to wait for the availability of sheet metal capacity abroad. Transavia does not have its own sheet metal workers, who are becoming even scarcer than technicians. There was also engine trouble in Lisbon. They have more planes in reserve, but this kind of madness is impossible to plan for.”

According to Transavia, its six new Airbus A321 planes are now fully operational. It has more aircraft in reserve to absorb any damage and is also renting an extra aircraft plus crew for backup. Nevertheless, Transavia is also working on canceling flights for later in the year, including September and October, “to keep our operations stable due to disrupted supply chains for parts,” the spokesperson said.

Travel agency TUI is not happy with the Transavia cancellations during the high season. “The fact is that it causes a great deal of inconvenience and disappointment for travelers who are confronted with canceled flights at the last minute. Travel organizations that sell package holidays with Transavia flights are working hard to find alternative flights to allow those holidays to go ahead. That is a very difficult search during the high season,” Petra Kok of TUI told the Telegraaf.

Transavia called the cancellations “extremely annoying” for everyone involved. “For us, for our customers, and our travel partners.”