British Airways has announced it will be making “some further cancellations” up to the end of October, and cutting thousands of flights from its winter schedule.
It follows the decision by Heathrow to continue its passenger cap, introduced in July because of staff shortages. Over 600 round trips will be cancelled up to 29 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.”
They added: “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.”
The total capacity for the winter schedule until the end of March will be reduced by 8% and impact around 10,000 flights.
However Sky News understands that the impact on customers of these winter cancellations is expected to be minimal because the majority of flights will remain in the schedule.
Customers booked for winter will be able to travel as planned and are being given several months’ notice of any changes, it is understood.
The passenger cap has already seen thousands of seats removed from sale amid concerns that it potentially increase demand and inflate prices with rival firms.
Tens of thousands of flights have been cancelled this summer as the industry struggles to cope with the demand for air travel amid staffing shortages.
In an unprecedented move earlier this month, British Airways announced a temporary pause in selling new tickets for short-haul flights from Heathrow.
Issues with at the UK largest and busiest airport led to budget carrier Ryanair adding more than 500 flights serving the smaller London Stansted during the October half-term.