Heathrow Airport in London Prolongs Passenger Limits Through October

On Monday, Heathrow Airport announced it will maintain its daily passenger cap until the end of October to manage the high demand for air travel amid staffing shortages.

As one of Europe's busiest airports, Heathrow has set a maximum of 100,000 departing travelers each day until October 29, extending the initial deadline of September 11. This cap may lead to more flight cancellations, on top of the thousands already cut from summer schedules by airlines.

Heathrow implemented this temporary limit in July, instructing airlines to cease ticket sales during the peak summer travel season due to anticipated passenger volumes exceeding the airport's ground staff capacity.

According to the airport, this temporary cap has led to 'fewer last-minute cancellations' and 'shorter wait times for luggage.'

The airport stated that capacity limits will be continuously reviewed and 'may be lifted sooner if there is a consistent improvement in resilience and a significant increase in staffing levels.'

Numerous summer flights arriving at and departing from Heathrow have been canceled in recent months, with passengers experiencing lengthy waits at security, lost luggage, and substantial flight delays.

The surge in demand for summer travel, following two years of COVID-19 restrictions, has overwhelmed European airlines and airports, which had previously laid off tens of thousands of pilots, cabin crew, check-in personnel, ground staff, and baggage handlers during the pandemic's halt to operations.