Heathrow Airport has introduced a cap on passenger numbers over the summer as the aviation sector struggles to cope with increased travel demand. No more than 100,000 daily passengers will be able to depart from July 12 until September 11, the west London airport announced.
Airlines planned to operate flights with a daily capacity averaging 104,000 seats over that period, according to Heathrow. The UK's busiest airport believed this would be more than the number of daily passengers that could be processed in an acceptable manner without impacting service levels.
It has since ordered airlines to stop selling summer tickets to limit the disruption to passengers.
READ MORE: Covid hospitalisations more than QUADRUPLE in just over a month in Greater Manchester
Thousands of flights have already been axed in recent months as the travel sector struggles to cope with high demand following the lifting of Covid restrictions.
Affected passengers will not be entitled to compensation as the reason for the cancellations will be classed as being outside the control of airlines. The reduction in available seats means ticket prices are likely to increase further.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable.”
Problems include long queues for check-in and security, delays for passengers requiring assistance, issues around baggage and last-minute cancellations.
Holland-Kaye said this is due to a combination of poor punctuality of arrivals due to delays at other airports and in European airspace, as well as increased passenger numbers “starting to exceed the combined capacity of airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport”.
He added the safety and wellbeing of airport staff must not be jeopardised as they go “above and beyond to get as many passengers away as possible.”
The airport ordered airlines to cancel 61 flights at short notice on Monday to ease pressure after a failure of baggage systems over the weekend. Heathrow said on average fewer than half of the 4,000 daily seats have been sold and it is asking airlines to stop selling tickets for summer travel.
It said: “We recognise that this will mean some summer journeys will either be moved to another day, another airport or be cancelled and we apologise to those whose travel plans are affected.
“But this is the right thing to do to provide a better, more reliable journey and to keep everyone working at the airport safe.”
The airport insists the capacity cap is “in line with limits implemented at other airports” and added how airlines have “discretion as to how they implement this in their individual schedules”.
Some carriers may choose to operate flights with empty seats.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- Former town mayor attacked and robbed in his own house after vile thief followed him home on the bus
- Section of Greater Manchester tram line to close for THREE MONTHS over the summer
- Boris Johnson resignation LIVE: Race to become new Prime Minister starts to take shape
- Manchester set to be hotter than TENERIFE as longest heatwave in four years due to hit
- Disabled pensioner blasts airport 'discrimination' over blue badge parking charges
