London’s Heathrow Airport had this week announced about its decision to put a cap on the number of passengers that would be allowed to pass through its gates this summer due to the overwhelming travel demand. But the decision to put a cap on the passengers has not gone down well in the aviation sector. The airport aims to bring down the daily limit of passengers to 100,000 and has asked the airlines to stop selling tickets. It has also warned that if the airlines continue to sell tickets then the passengers would face more cancellations in the weeks to come.
Popular airline Emirates has issued a statement which has assured its customers that it will not be amending its flights to comply with the Heathrow Airport’s request to reduce the number of passengers. A statement from the airline added that it has decided not to act, plan or invest and added that the airport is converting the entire blame on the airlines and travellers to deal with incompetence and non-action. The statement also said that until further notice, it will continue to operate as per schedule to and from LHR (London England United Kingdom – Heathrow airport code).
On the other hand executives from Heathrow have decided to keep a cap on the passengers to 100,000 per day until September, 2022. The steps have been taken to reduce the burden of the summer holiday rush. This would mean that 4,000 fewer everyday passengers would be expected by Heathrow. If this comes to effect then it would mean that the travel plans of nearly a quarter of a million holiday makers would be cancelled.
Heathrow has also said that the airlines have already sold 1,500 tickets per day which is more than the 100,000 cap for the particular period. This means that even if the airlines stop now, there would be excess amount of flights to be pushed to cancel or be rearranged.
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