London Heathrow airport has confirmed it is extending its flight cap until October in a bid to help mitigate the travel chaos Brits have faced in recent months.
Under the rules, there will be a maximum of 100,000 traveller able to depart per day through to October 29, meaning that some families' half term holidays could be put in jeopardy.
In a glimmer of hope, the airport has said that the cap could be lifted earlier, but only if the airport sees "improved resource levels" in the coming months.
The airport has claimed that since the cap was introduced, there have been fewer last-minute cancellations, better punctuality and shorter wait times for baggage.
Heathrow's Chief Commercial Officer Ross Baker said in a statement: "Our primary concern is ensuring we give our passengers a reliable service when they travel. That’s why we introduced temporary capacity limits in July which have already improved journeys during the summer getaway.
"We want to remove the cap as soon as possible, but we can only do so when we are confident that everyone operating at the airport has the resources to deliver the service our passengers deserve."
Earlier this year the airport had ordered airlines to slash their flight schedules following chaotic scenes as staff shortages left them struggling to cope with the sudden ramping up of demand for overseas holidays.
As a result airlines have been cancelling flights, while British Airways briefly stopped selling short-haul routes to meet the demands.
Meanwhile the airline Emirates originally rejected the limitations, but subsequently backed down and agreed to the flight cap until mid-August.
Last week the group's chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, claimed that passengers have been seeing "better, more reliable journeys" since the cap on departing flights was enforced.
UK airports could be looking at a barrage of compensation claims from affected holiday firms and airlines, many of which have laid the blame for disruption squarely at the feet of the airports.
TUI on Wednesday revealed it is seeking to recoup a "significant" sum from the airports it flies from after taking a £63 million cost hit due to the recent travel woes.
