Heathrow airport to extend flight passenger cap until end of October half term in bid to limit chaos

15 August 2022, 21:43

Heathrow airport to extend flight passenger cap
Heathrow airport to extend flight passenger cap. Picture: Alamy

By Megan Hinton

Heathrow Airport has announced that it will extend its cap on passenger numbers for another six weeks as the aviation sector continues to struggle to cope with demand for travel.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

No more than 100,000 travellers will be able to depart per day until October 29, the west London airport said.

It said the move was taken following an improvement in punctuality and fewer delays after introducing a temporary cap in July.

The capacity limit of 100,000 daily departing passengers was initially to last until September 11, but that date was pushed back on Monday.

Tens of thousands of flights have already been cancelled this summer as the industry struggles to cope with the demand for air travel amid staffing shortages.

Many passengers flying to and from the UK's busiest airport have suffered severe disruption in recent months, with long security queues and baggage system breakdowns.

Read more: Flash flooding and torrential rain sweeps into the UK as record breaking heatwave is washed away

Heathrow boss says no ground handling staff have been hired

Heathrow said the cap imposed in July had resulted in "fewer last-minute cancellations" and "shorter waits for bags".

It added the capacity limits would be kept under review and "could be lifted earlier should there be a sustained picture of better resilience and a material increase in resourcing levels".

But consumer rights group Which? has warned the move will leave the plans of thousands of passengers in limbo. Guy Hobbs, travel editor at the organisation, described the situation as a "mess" and urged the airport to provide clarity to holiday-makers about the flight schedule.

"Though the extension of the passenger cap may help Heathrow prevent a repeat of the unacceptable last-minute cancellations we saw earlier in the summer, thousands of people will now be anxious about whether their travel plans could be scuppered," he said.

"Heathrow and impacted airlines must act without delay to provide travellers with clarity on which flights are being cut, and airlines must ensure affected passengers are aware of their rights to rebooking or refunds.

Read more: Shoppers rush the doors in Shanghai Ikea after flash Covid lockdown ordered

"The aviation industry and the government need to ensure that this mess is sorted out as soon as possible - passenger caps cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely."

Heathrow chief commercial officer Ross Baker said: "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."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Breaking
Breaking News

'She was grateful for life': parents of Southport stabbing victims pay tribute to their children

Israeli hostage reunited with his family.

Emotional moment Israeli hostages reunite with families after being paraded on stage by Hamas

Police officers hold back protesters trying to block the road at the rally.

Protesters clash with police as thousands rally outside proposed site for new Chinese ‘mega-embassy’ in London

The father of the Huszti sisters has said he believes his daughters were "kidnapped" and "cruelly killed"

Heartbroken father of sisters found dead in River Dee believes they were 'lured to their death'

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’

Hollyoaks star breaks silence over death of mum found dead in French villa with her husband

Harvey Willgoose's parents Caroline Willgoose (left) and Mark (right) holder a banner as they march to Bramall Lane in memory of their son

Hundreds gather for memorial march after 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose stabbed to death at school in Sheffield

Police tell locals to stay away from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub due to large gathering of pony and traps

Police tell locals to stay away from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub due to large gathering of pony and traps

Pauline Quirke

Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke 'struggling to identify family members' amid dementia battle

Detail of the logo on a Sony PlayStation 5 home video game console

PlayStation Network hit with worldwide outage as tens of thousands of gamers locked out

The Government has ordered Apple to allow it to access encrypted files uploaded to the cloud by any Apple user worldwide, it has been reported.

UK Government orders Apple to give it access to users’ encrypted data in 'unprecedented attack on privacy'

The wreckage of the small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska has been found

Missing Alaska Bering Air plane found with all 10 people on board confirmed dead

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’

Israeli hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami have been released

'We won't gloss over the shocking scenes', warns Netanyahu as three freed by Hamas paraded on stage

Harry and Meghan at the 2023 Invictus Games

Meghan to join Prince Harry at Invictus Games in Canada

Exclusive
General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Steve Wright is yet to receive a follow up on the minister’s comments.

Government must introduce health checks for firefighters after Grenfell, union says

c

New EPC rules for landlords could lead to higher rents and fewer homes