British Airways to cut 10,000 flights at Heathrow airport

British Airways on Monday announced that it will cut back on the number of flights scheduled at London’s busiest airport, Heathrow, over the winter as the aviation industry continues to experience staffing challenges in the face of a surge in demand for travel worldwide.

Heathrow, adding to its statement given in March, saying a cut of 10,000 flights, added that it will extend its passenger cap in October. The airline announced, "We're now adjusting our winter short-haul schedule until the end of March, reducing our schedule by around 5,000 round-trips," AFP reported.

The airline also announced changes to its short-haul schedule for the next two months.

The largest airport in Europe introduced its daily departure of 100,000 passengers in July, which is about 4,000 passengers per day, a little less than the planned flights. The cap was introduced to lessen the recent commotion brought on by a post-pandemic surge of passengers and staffing issues. 

Airlines this summer scheduled tens of thousands of flights throughout Europe to benefit from the loosening of Covid restrictions. However, after making dramatic personnel reductions after the removal of restrictions, the aviation industry faced a heavy staffing issue.

In numerous airports throughout Europe, the staffing resulted in lengthy lines to check in, security check, and retrieve bags. Many flights were cancelled due to staff shortages.

Between May and October, British Airways temporarily halted ticket sales for its flights out of Heathrow and reduced travel capacity by 13 per cent.

British Airways intends to run 290 roundtrips every day this winter.