Aer Lingus looking to minimise impact of Heathrow passenger cap

Operating up to 23 flights to and from Heathrow each day, Aer Lingus is one of the biggest users of the airport. Picture: Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Aer Lingus is assessing the impact of a decision by Heathrow Airport to cap the daily number of passengers flying from the hub.

The airline says it is looking to minimise the disruption to Irish travellers, who are among the biggest users of the airport.

The move by the operator of London's main transport hub to limit the number of departing passengers to 100,000 per day is set to add further misery to international travellers already enduring lengthy queues, flight delays, and missing luggage as airports struggle to meet the demand for travel following the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Operating up to 23 flights to and from Heathrow each day, Aer Lingus is one of the biggest users of the airport. In addition to serving as a destination itself with access to London, Heathrow also operates as a key gateway for travellers arriving and departing Ireland for other destinations, including many long-haul flights.

In a statement yesterday, the chief executive of the airport said the number of daily departing passengers was forecast to reach 104,000 this summer, which would result in lengthy queues and delays. As a result, they were capping the maximum number of departing passengers at 100,000. 

"We are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers," Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye.

Operating daily flights to Heathrow from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast, a spokesperson for Aer Lingus told the Irish Examiner they awaiting further directions to understand the impact on its schedule.

"Due to the large number of flights into London Heathrow, Aer Lingus will look to minimise disruption caused to customers by these mandated flight cancellations. Customers impacted will receive direct communication from Aer Lingus in the coming days."

The move by Heathrow was strongly criticised by the former Aer Lingus and British Airways boss Willie Walsh who now heads the body representing global airlines. 

"I am surprised Heathrow have not been able to get their act together better than this. Airlines have been predicting stronger traffic than Heathrow has been predicting ... they clearly got it completely wrong," the director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) told Reuters.

"To tell airlines to stop selling - what a ridiculous thing for an airport to say to an airline," Walsh said.