British Airways is restarting selling short-haul tickets on flights out of London’s Heathrow Airport.
The airline is resuming the sales service as of today, saying there is no need to continue suspending sales as it can manage new ticket sales volumes while still working within Heathrow’s passenger number limitations.
Heathrow has a temporary cap – of 100,000 people – on the daily number of passengers flying out of the airport in order to cope with the recent surge in demand and better control delays and overcrowding.
Heathrow’s cap on passenger numbers is due to last until September 11. The airport had also urged airlines to stop selling new summer tickets departing the hub. British Airways suspended new ticket sales out of Heathrow two weeks ago.
Heathrow has been one of the hardest hit European airports as the post-Covid surge in air travel demand and passenger numbers has clashed with staff shortages amongst ground crew and baggage handlers.
Last week, Heathrow bosses said the cap – which has been criticised by airline industry group IATA – has worked in easing passenger chaos and has resulted in “better, more reliable journeys”.
British Airways has said it will continue to work with Heathrow “to provide certainty for our existing customers”.
The airline – a sister airline to Aer Lingus, within the larger IAG family of carriers – said it will still take “targeted action” to limit the number of seats or fares available out of Heathrow, if necessary.
