London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

5,000 people hit by Heathrow flight cancellations

5,000 people hit by Heathrow flight cancellations

Around 30 flights carrying up to 5,000 passengers have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport due to technical issues affecting baggage.

The airport asked airlines to cut 10% of flights from schedules across terminals two and three on Monday.

It comes after problems at baggage reclaim areas, with images of luggage being piled up high emerging last week.

Elsewhere, EasyJet announced plans to cut 7% of its 160,000 flights scheduled between July and September.

The move came after Gatwick, EasyJet's main airport, said it will reduce the number of flights taking off from its airport during the peak summer season because of staff shortages.

Tens of thousands of passengers have been hit by airport disruption and flight cancellations in recent weeks.

The BBC understands some airlines might be able to combine flights at Heathrow meaning some passengers will not have their journeys postponed.

Heathrow said cutting the number of flights would "minimise" the impact of the technical issues affecting baggage systems.

"We apologise unreservedly for the disruption passengers have faced over the course of this weekend," the company said.

British Airways, which operates from terminals three and five, told the BBC it had made a "small number of cancellations" as a result of the airport's request.

It understood BA will be able to re-accommodate the vast majority of customers onto new flights.

Hundreds of flights across the UK were cancelled during the week of the Platinum Jubilee and half-term holidays, and concerns have been raised of further travel woes during the summer.

The disruption has been caused by several factors, but staff shortages has left the aviation industry struggling to cope with resurgent demand.


As well as Gatwick, EasyJet also confirmed there would be flight cancellations at other airports across the airline's network including Amsterdam's Schiphol hub but it has not yet worked out a precise number.

Last week, Schiphol said it would cap the number of passengers allowed at the airport over summer, leading to a 16% fall in planned flights.

EasyJet said customers would be given advance notice and the potential to rebook onto alternative flights. It added many would be able to rebook on the same day they had originally planned to travel.

It said in recent weeks the sector had experienced an "unprecedented ramp-up" in demand for travel, with April and May passenger numbers reaching seven times higher than same months last year.

EasyJet's chief executive, Johan Lundgren, said the airline would usually operate about 160,000 flights during the summer months.

He apologised that the company "had not been able to deliver the service" that customers "have come to expect from us".

"I can't tell you how many flights will be impacted," he said. "It would be misleading for me to give any numbers today because we simply don't know."

The airline said it was cancelling the flights to build additional resilience in the face of operational issues including staff shortages in ground handling and at airports as well as air traffic control delays.

"Coupled with airport caps, we are taking pre-emptive actions to increase resilience over the balance of summer, including a range of further flight consolidations in the affected airports, giving advance notice to customers and we expect the vast majority to be rebooked on alternative flights within 24 hours," Mr Lundgren added.


Can you get compensation if your flight is cancelled?


If your flight is cancelled, you have the right to either a full refund, or a replacement flight.

"And that different flight does not need to be with the same carrier - it can be an alternative, as long it flies on the same day," says Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership.

If you and the airline can't agree on a new flight, it will refund you.

If the flight was cancelled with 14 days or less notice, you may also be entitled to compensation - but only if the airline is at fault.

"If it's a direct result of the airline, you're entitled to compensation, but if it's the airport, your compensation doesn't kick in," says Mrs Lo Bue-Said.

He said EasyJet was trying to recruit from a tighter labour market, but added the main problem wasn't numbers but the time it was taking identity checks to be processed so people are able to work.

"It's been slow to get people in the system, not so much the fact we have been struggling to recruit," he said.

However, Mr Lundgren said the company was having to "turn down EU applications" for jobs because of Brexit, which had also contributed to the smaller pool of potential workers.

"We turned down 8,000 applicants from the EU," he said, which equates to 40% of all people applying for jobs at the airline.

"I'm not blaming... but of course it has an impact. It's just smaller, it's just maths," he said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said the government was "committed to building a robust and dependable domestic aviation industry" and added it launched a skills scheme last year to "help develop, and hold onto, UK talent".

"We are absolutely focused on seeing an end to the disruption at airports and will continue to work with industry. But as the Transport Secretary has made clear, it is not obvious that reaching for the lever marked 'more immigration' will solve the problem," they added.

They also suggested that changes in the law following Brexit had afforded the sector more flexibility when training new employees.

Airlines have been blamed in recent weeks for taking more bookings than they can manage following steep staff cuts during the height of Covid when travel ground to a halt.

But industry leaders have argued the government could have done more to support the sector during the pandemic.

Following a wave of cancellations and delays at airports, the DfT and the Civil Aviation Authority wrote to airlines telling them to review their schedules and to cancel flights that could not be delivered "at the earliest possibility".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×