British Airways has announced that it will cancel more than 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of March in 2019, as it adjusts to the ongoing workforce shortages that have affected aviation,
After the London airport urged airlines to sell fewer flights and prolonged the summer’s 100,000 daily restriction on passenger numbers by another six weeks until the end of October, the carrier decided to reduce its short-haul itinerary by 8%.
Heathrow’s request comes amid a difficult post-Covid recovery in which it has battled to hire enough workers to satisfy the demand from returning business travelers and visitors, resulting in pandemonium and lengthy lines over Easter, spring break, and into early summer.
In an effort to relieve the pressure brought on by the staffing issues airports and the airline itself are facing, BA, the largest operator at the airport, has already canceled tens of thousands of flights over the summer.
Earlier this month, it also stopped selling tickets for short-haul flights out of Heathrow as it revised its estimates for the number of aircraft required in light of Heathrow’s capacity limit.
The airline, which is owned by International Airlines Group, announced on Monday that it needed to increase the number of cancellations on its schedule. This decision is part of a trend that started in May and has been accelerating as airports and airlines struggle with staff shortages, which are disrupting check-in and baggage services.
The winter timetable, which runs until the end of March, will be reduced by 8%, according to BA, which also announced that over 600 return flights to and from Heathrow will be canceled through 29 October.
By announcing a “slot amnesty” last month, the government has made it simpler for airlines to reduce their capacity. Due to the “use it or lose it” nature of Heathrow’s and other popular airports’ scarce landing slots, this has allowed BA and others to scale back their operations this year.