BRITISH Airways is scrapping 10,300 flights through the summer season as it grapples with a staffing crisis that's unleashed throughout the EU's aviation sector, reports Bloomberg News.

With the latest round of cancellations, IAG (International Airlines Group) will have pared 13 per cent of its schedule from April through October.

British Airways has been hit the hardest by a staffing crunch after dismissing 10,000 workers at the peak of the Covid crisis.

The latest comes after the UK government waived rules that require airlines to use airport operating slots.

"While taking further action is not where we wanted to be, it's the right thing to do," said IAG.

"This new flexibility means that we can further reduce our schedule and consolidate some of our quieter services so that we can protect as many of our holiday flights as possible."

Passengers will be able to rebook with British Airways or another airline or get a full refund.

Previously, the carrier declared it was hiring Dutch rival KLM's chief operating officer with a focus on improving operational resilience.