British Airways is to cancel hundreds more summer flights just weeks after it axed 10% of its summer departures. The airline said the previous schedule cut aimed at easing disruption had proved insufficient.
Tens of thousands of passengers will be affected by the move to cancel flights at Heathrow and Gatwick. The Government has introduced a slot amnesty, which enables airlines to temporarily hand back without punishment any take-off and landing slots they do not have the resources to use. Under normal rules, carriers lose slots if they do not use them.
The aviation industry is suffering major disruption as a surge in demand for travel coincides with staff shortages across roles such as airline crew, ground handlers, airport security staff and air traffic controllers. Thousands of flights have been cancelled and many passengers have been forced to wait for several hours in long queues at airports.
