Heathrow delays: Emirates agrees to cap summer flights

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After being asked by the airport to scale back capacity, the airlines agreed to cap sales of their flights at the airport.

The airline had previously refused to stop selling summer tickets.

The bosses from the companies met on Friday to discuss ways to avoid travel chaos.

Post-pandemic travel demand has seen airports struggle to cope.

The two airlines said they had come to an agreement.

"Emirates agreed the airline was ready and willing to work with the airport to keep demand and capacity in balance and provide passengers with a smooth and reliable journey through Heathrow this summer," said Sir Tim Clark and John.

They said the move would help the airport.

"Emirates flights from Heathrow operate as scheduled and ticketed passengers may travel as booked."

The carrier said the airport's demand was "unreasonable and unacceptable".

The airport faced an "airmageddon" situation due to their incompetence and non-action, according to the airline.

There was no choice but to put a cap on departing travellers.

Image source, Getty Images

130,000 people a day left the airport before the swine flu hit.

The UK is about to enter the key summer holiday season as schools begin to break up and there are fears that travellers will be hit by further disruption and delays.

The airline was given 36 hours to cut departing passenger numbers and was threatened with legal action if it didn't comply.

Prior to Friday's agreement, the carrier said its ground handling and catering staff were capable of handling its scheduled flights.

British Airways said that the demand was disappointing for customers and that it had already reduced its summer schedule.

The airline is cutting an extra six flights a day in response to the move and has asked some customers if they would like to change their flights or get a voucher if they want to cancel.

Demand for international travel has returned and airports and airlines are struggling to find staff.

The cap on passengers at Heathrow was higher than the limit at Schiphol in Amsterdam, according to the airport.