HEATHROW CAPS NUMBER OF DAILY DEPARTING TRAVELLERS

Europe’s busiest airport has asked airlines to stop selling tickets for the rest of the summer.

In a statement released by London Heathrow Airport, the airport authorities said they’ve introduced a cap of 100,000 passengers flying each day.

As the British summer peak season has started, more and more flights have had to be cancelled or delayed due to too many constraints on ground and air staff.

“Some airlines have taken significant action, but others have not, and we believe that further action is needed now to ensure passengers have a safe and reliable journey,” Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kave said in a statement.”

“We have therefore made the difficult decision to introduce a capacity cap with effect from 12 July to 11 September.”

Some airlines have slashed thousands of flights from their summer schedules already, but it still hasn’t been enough.

Heathrow has said that even with the cancelled flights, the airport is still expecting more passengers than airport ground staff could handle.

The massive number of passengers departing over the last few days is only likely to increase with travellers making the most of their summer vacation and the high demand for international travel since Covid restrictions have been lifted.

Many European airlines have had to lay off tens of thousands of staff members including pilots, cabin crew, check-in staff, ground crew and baggage handlers during the pandemic and they’re now faced with the added pressure.

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