Heathrow imposes passenger cap
By Abigail Townsend
Date: Tuesday 12 Jul 2022
(Sharecast News) - Heathrow has capped daily passenger numbers as it struggles to cope with the post-pandemic surge in demand.
The airport, which on Monday axed 61 flights due to leave that day, said the maximum number of daily departing passengers that airlines, ground handlers and the airport could collectively manage over the summer was "no more than 100,000".
As daily departing seats are currently forecast to be 104,000, Heathrow said it was asking airlines to stop selling summer tickets. It added that of those 4,000 excess daily seats, only about 1,500 have currently been sold.
In an open letter to passengers posted to the airport's website, chief executive 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 levels drop to a level that is not acceptable: long queue times, delays for passengers requiring assistance, bags not travelling with passengers, or arriving late, low punctuality and last minute-cancellations.
"By making this intervention now, our objective is to protect flights for the vast majority of passengers at Heathrow this summer."
The global aviation industry was floored by Covid-19 and has since struggled to meet the surge in demand after travel restrictions were eased. Recruitment has been particularly difficult, after vast numbers of people were laid off during the pandemic.
There was chaos over Easter as passengers across the UK reported long queues to get through security and passport control, lost luggage and flights cancelled with little or no notice.
British Airways - Heathrow's largest carrier - has already axed 11% of its summer schedule, which runs from April to October.
Heathrow's passenger cap, which comes into effect immediately, will remain in place until 11 September.
Email this article to a friend
or share it with one of these popular networks:
You are here: news
10 Lower Thames St,
London EC3R 6EN