British Airways cuts 10,000 more Heathrow flights until March 2023, here's how it affects you

British Airways has announced even more flight cancellations as it cuts another 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow until spring next year (2023).

More travel woes

The airline will cancel over 600 flights to and from Heathrow until 29 October. It will also cut its winter short-haul schedule which runs until March next year (2023) by 8%, impacting approximately 10,000 flights, as reported by The Guardian.

Heathrow’s largest operator already cancelled 10,300 flights in July and suspended sales of short-haul flights to and from the airport for two weeks in August. These actions were the result of Heathrow’s passenger cap of 100,000 departing passengers per day, which is now set to last until October.

A spokesperson for the airline said:

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

In addition, we’re giving customers travelling with us this winter notice of some adjustments to our schedule, which will include consolidating some of our short-haul flights to destinations with multiple services. We’ll be offering customers affected by any of these changes an alternative flight with British Airways or another airline or the option of a refund.

Gatwick increases passenger forecast

It comes as the UK's second busiest airport, Gatwick, which has raised its passenger forecast after high demand for flights over summer, as reported by the Financial Times. On Tuesday 23 August, Gatwick said it expected 32.8 million people to pass through the airport this year, an increase from the 30.6 million it forecast in March.

Unlike Heathrow, Gatwick has not extended its summer cap on flight numbers. The airport's chief executive Stewart Wingate said:

We are now very much operating business as usual and do not see any reason to extend the capacity declaration.

Gatwick cut its maximum number of daily flights during peak times from 900 to 825 in July and 850 in August, before hiring an extra 400 security personnel in response to staff shortages.

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