London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will remove its one hundred thousand daily passengers throughput limit from 30 October. The management of the largest air station serving the British capital had limited capacity during the last summer due to staff shortages.
The first limitation was imposed in July, following consultation with the airlines operating at the airport. Since then, the measure has reduced the number of last-minute cancellations, improved punctuality and reduced waiting times in the baggage claim areas.
In this regard, Ross Baker, the airport’s CCO, had assured that Heathrow’s main concern was to «guarantee a reliable service». He had also made it clear that the management’s intention was to «remove the limit as soon as possible» but that this would only be possible when all the airport’s stakeholders had the necessary resources.
In a press release issued today, the airport confirmed that the limit will no longer apply as of next Monday. However, it also clarified that a similar measure could be adopted for the upcoming year-end travel season. » We are working with airlines to agree a highly targeted mechanism that, if needed, would align supply and demand on a small number of peak days in the lead up to Christmas», the administration said.
In this way, Europe’s largest airport would encourage demand at off-peak times and protect peak periods in order to minimise delays and cancellations as a result of pressure on available resources.
In addition, the statement details that although demand continues to grow, it has not yet fully recovered. Airport management forecasts that the total number of passengers during 2022 will be between 60 and 62 million. That figure would be 25% lower than in 2019. In this regard, Heathrow argues that it is «unlikely» to recover pre-pandemic demand for several years. The only exception would be the periods of the year that tend to see the most traffic.
See also: United Kingdom eliminates visa requirement for Colombia, Guyana and Peru
