Heathrow Becomes Second Major European Airport to Artificially Cap Passenger Numbers

In order to prevent potentially dangerous overcrowding in its terminals, Heathrow Airport has ordered airlines to cap the number of passengers on flights over the next couple of months.

According to reports, the West London airport wants to cut the number of passengers passing through Terminal 5 in half between the hours of 5 am and 6 pm.

The reduction in capacity is equivalent to nine British Airways A319 aircraft, which are based out of Terminal 5. Delays at check-in were blamed for the capacity cut.

Many of the delays at British Airways' check-in desks are unavoidable because of time-Consuming Pandemic paperwork checks.

The airline is trying to recruit new ground staff with the lure of a £1,000 sign-on bonus, but calls to ease immigration rules have been roundly rejected by the UK's Conservative government.

The operation would not be considered safe without a reduction in demand.

The airlines were consolidated into fewer buildings during the Pandemic. The terminal is due to reopen later this month.

A huge swathe of space back to British Airways is going to be released on June 14 when the temporary home of Qatar Airways is moved.

Over the past few weeks, airlines have been urged to cap passenger numbers due to delays at security. Certain airlines have been granted the right to cut landing and takeoff rights at the airport.

There will be restrictions in place from June 1 to August 28 in order to reduce crowding.

As an international flight attendant, Maszczynski worked at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying for a well-known European airline. He is an expert in passenger experience and human-centered stories. Some of the biggest names in journalism rely on Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage often.