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Heathrow to extend capacity limits through summer

Following a consultation with airlines, Heathrow said it will extend the existing limits on the airport’s capacity through to October 29, the end of the summer season, providing passengers with confidence ahead of their half-term getaways.
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Following a consultation with airlines, Heathrow said it will extend the existing limits on the airport’s capacity through to October 29, the end of the summer season, providing passengers with confidence ahead of their half-term getaways.

In July, Heathrow introduced temporary capacity limits to improve passenger journeys over the summer getaway. By better balancing passenger demand with available resources, we are able to operate a safe airport ecosystem that prioritises passenger needs. Since then, the cap has resulted in fewer last-minute cancellations, better punctuality and shorter waits for bags.

Several other airports, including Gatwick, Frankfurt and Schiphol have also put in place equivalent capacity limits as the entire aviation sector, both home and away, faces similar challenges. Schiphol has also extended its cap through to the end of October.

The capacity limits will be kept under regular review and could be lifted earlier should there be a sustained picture of better resilience and a material increase in resourcing levels, notably at some airline ground handlers which remains a core constraint on capacity at the airport.

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.”
The capacity limit at Heathrow is currently set at 100,000 daily departing passengers. – TradeArabia News Service

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