British Airways axes 10,000 more flights to and from Heathrow

British Airways has axed 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of March next year as it tries to cope with staff shortages that have hit aviation.

After the London airport extended the summer's 100,000 daily cap on passenger numbers, the carrier decided to shrink its short-haul timetable by 8%.

It has struggled to find the staff to meet returning demand from business travellers and tourists, leading to chaos and long queue over Easter, spring half term and into early summer.

In an attempt to ease the pressure caused by the staffing problems faced by airports and the airline itself, British Airways has cut tens of thousands of flights over the summer.

It stopped selling tickets on short-haul flights from Heathrow earlier this month as it adjusted its expectations for the number of planes needed.

The carrier, which is owned by International Airlines Group, said on Monday that it needed to add more cancellation to its roster, continuing a trend that began in May as airlines and airports struggle with staff shortages.

The winter schedule, which runs until the end of March, will be cut by 8%.

The impact would be minimal because there would be alternative flights available on most of the routes.

While the majority of our customers will travel as planned and we are protecting key holiday destinations over half-term, we will need to make some further cancellation up to the end of October.

Some of our short-haul flights to destinations with multiple services will be consolidated this winter in order to better serve our customers. Customers who are affected by any of these changes will be offered an alternative flight with British Airways or the option of a refunds.

Last month, the government made it easier for airlines to cut their capacity by introducing a "slot amnesty". It has allowed BA and others to reduce their operations this year without giving up their valuable landing slots at busy airports.