British Airways Cuts 10,000 Flights From & To Heathrow

British Airways has announced yet another wave of cancellations, this time cancelling 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of March next year to react to the ongoing staffing shortages that have affected the aviation industry.

After London Airport extended the summer cap of 100,000 daily passengers maximum for another six weeks to the end of October and encouraged airlines to sell fewer flights, the carrier decided to reduce its short-haul schedule by 8%.

Heathrow has been having a hard time recovering from the Covid recovery. Its plight has been highlighted by the recent turmoil and lengthy lines that have crippled the airport throughout the Easter, spring break, and early summer holidays.

To alleviate the strain created by airport and airline staffing shortages, the major operator at the airport, British Airways (BA), has already cancelled tens of thousands of flights this summer.

While at the beginning of this month, it also halted sales for short-haul flights departing from Heathrow as it reassessed its forecast for the number of aircraft it would require in light of Heathrow’s capacity restriction.

British Airways said Monday that it would add cancellations to its timetable, following a trend that began in May and has gained traction as airlines and airports battle staff shortages that have created confusion at check-in and baggage services.

British Airways said on 22 October that it will be cancelling around 600 round-trip flights to and from Heathrow, with further reductions of 8% to the winter schedule that extends until the end of March.

Alternative flights on the same day would be available for most of the itineraries impacted, so the airline predicted that the overall effect would be “limited,” while some cancellations would be inevitable.

A BA representative said further cancellations might be necessary up to the end of October. However, “the great majority of our customers will travel as scheduled, and we’re safeguarding important vacation locations during half-term.”

In addition, we’re letting consumers know in advance that we’ll be making some changes to our schedule this winter, such as merging some of our shorter-haul flights to locations that now get numerous services. Any clients impacted by these changes will be offered a refund or rebooking with British Airways or another carrier.

Last month, the government promised a “slot amnesty” to make it simpler for airlines to reduce capacity. This has enabled BA and others to curtail their operations this year without losing the privilege of lucrative landing slots at Heathrow and other congested airports, which ordinarily have a “use it or lose it” regulation.