London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the UK plans to remove the restriction on departure passenger numbers on 29 October 2022, reported The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
The restriction was first implemented by LHR in July, when the airport witnessed a significant traffic growth and led to a chaotic situation.
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In a statement at that time, LHR said: “The global aviation industry is recovering from the pandemic, but the legacy of Covid continues to pose challenges for the entire sector as it rebuilds capacity. At Heathrow, we have seen 40 years of passenger growth in just four months.
“Our assessment is that the maximum number of daily departing passengers that airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport can collectively serve over the summer season is no more than 100,000.”
Later in August, LHR decided to further extend the cap on passenger capacity until 29 October to support reliable journeys.
The restriction of 100,000 passengers per day was extended to restrict queues, baggage delays and flight cancellations.
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By GlobalDataHeathrow spokeswoman was quoted by the news agency as saying: “This cap resulted in fewer last-minute cancellations, better punctuality and shorter waits for bags.
“Our focus has always been on removing the cap as quickly as possible, but we will only do so if we are confident that adding in more passengers will not erode the service levels that the cap has secured.”
LHR’s move comes after Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) unveiled its plan to continue the restriction on daily departing travellers until March next year.
With this extension, Schiphol aimed at supporting a more stable airport process.
Meanwhile, in another UK development, London City Airport (LCY) announced that it would upgrade its departure lounge to further improve the passenger experience.
As part of this initiative, London City Airport is investing £12m for the upgrade along with SSP, Lagardère Travel Retail and WHSmith.
Upon completion, the upgrade will see the addition of more seating space, duty-free area expansion, and new dining and retail spaces.
