Airport will not have air traffic control every day

An airport will not provide air traffic control service (ATC) for a number of days because of a lack of staff.

Gloucestershire Airport will be affected for 10 days across a 10-week period whilst newly recruited staff members finish training.

The airport is mainly used for private flights, training and clubs, and operators based there will still be able to take off and land, an airport spokesperson said.

Revised opening hours will be introduced on 8 July and will be published on the airport's website.

The changes will be in force until September.

On days when ATC is provided, the service will begin 30 minutes later and end 30 minutes earlier.

The airport's senior leadership team put in a plan to tackle the ATC issue several months ago, focusing on recruitment, training and succession planning.

This included the introduction of new pay scales to help with recruitment and staff retention.

The airport also invested £500,000 into ATC Tower equipment.

Chris Brian, the air traffic services manager, said there was a shortage of air traffic control officers (ATCO) across the UK.

"This has led to unprecedented demand from larger airfields for more ATCOs and has made it increasingly difficult for airports like ours to recruit new and retain existing staff," he said.

"I am extremely proud of the efforts and sacrifices that our ATC staff are making to ensure we do everything possible to support our customers and recover from this situation in the shortest feasible time frame."

Jason Ivey, managing director at the airport, added: “We recognise that this situation is extremely regrettable but would like to thank the operators for their understanding, support, and for the many messages we have received from those who believe that the new team are doing everything they can to ensure a professional and well managed aviation hub.”

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.