The House of Commons transport committee is launching an investigation into airport delays and flight cancellations.

The committee met virtually on Monday and voted unanimously to move forward with a study into the delays.

The committee will invite Transport Minister Omar Alghabra to testify and will hold its first hearing by the end of next week.

Airlines and airports have been grappling with a surge in travel this summer, compounded by staffing shortages affecting both carriers and federal agencies.

That91裸聊视频檚 led to widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups, with the Greater Toronto Area91裸聊视频檚 Pearson International Airport the hardest hit by these issues.

John Gradek, head of McGill University91裸聊视频檚 aviation management program, said airlines aggressively ramped up their flight schedules as travel picked up again but have not been mindful of their own labour shortages.

Airlines laid off workers at the start of the pandemic and have been facing challenges with hiring enough workers back into the industry.

91裸聊视频淭he airlines 91裸聊视频� launched a whole series of flights and schedules that were very aggressive to basically capture as much of this traffic as they possibly could and without really understanding what the impact was going to be on the ability of the infrastructure and the aviation ecosystems to handle all this traffic,91裸聊视频� Gradek said.

Gradek said airports are also responsible for the delays because they have not been limiting the number of flights to match their capacities. Part of the problem, he said, is they don91裸聊视频檛 have the authority to order airlines to reduce flight volumes.

Last week, the head of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said delays at Canada91裸聊视频檚 busiest travel hub are declining, but stopped short of making specific commitments or timelines to improve travel times going forward.

Other airports around the world have ordered airlines to cut back on flights. The United Kingdom91裸聊视频檚 Heathrow Airport ordered airlines to stop selling tickets for summer flights as it imposed a cap on the number of passengers per day.

91裸聊视频淎irlines don91裸聊视频檛 want to reduce the schedules, because if you reduce the schedules, you reduce your market share,91裸聊视频� Gradek said.

He said he91裸聊视频檒l be paying close attention to any proposed solutions that come out of the transport committee to ensure the next time the country faces a crisis, there are limited airport disruptions.

Amicable efforts to solve the problem aren91裸聊视频檛 working, so 91裸聊视频渨e need some authority,91裸聊视频� he said.

Air Canada announced in June that it would cut more than 15 per cent of its schedule in July and August, more than 9,500 flights, due to the strained air transport system. Meanwhile, WestJet said it 91裸聊视频減roactively91裸聊视频� removed flights from its Pearson schedule, anticipating summer travel snarls.

Transport Canada said the government and the aviation industry are working together to improve travel, including through meeting with stakeholders, boosting staff levels and improving the ArriveCan app.

Air Canada is also facing heat for refusing compensation claims to passengers whose flight cancellations or delays are caused by staff shortages resulting from the pandemic.

91裸聊视频擭ojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press