London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 07, 2025

Emirates slams Heathrow Airport's order to cut flights

Mideast carrier Emirates on Thursday rejected a demand by London’s Heathrow Airport for airlines to cut the number of passengers on summer flights in a bid to ease travel disruptions, calling it an “entirely unreasonable and unacceptable” move that shows “blatant disregard for customers.”
In a blistering statement, the airline accused Heathrow’s management of “incompetence” for not being ready to deal with the “super peak period” for travel. The airport says it’s been seeking help from airlines on solutions for months.

Emirates, one of the world’s biggest airlines, fired back a day after Heathrow announced it was capping daily passenger numbers at 100,000 and telling airlines to stop selling tickets as it seeks to quell travel chaos caused by soaring travel demand and staff shortages.

Airlines have already slashed thousands of flights from their summer schedules after U.K. aviation authorities, in a bid to prevent last-minute cancellations, said carriers wouldn’t be punished for not using valuable takeoff and landing slots.

Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, said the cuts weren’t enough, but Emirates drew a line, exposing tensions between the airport and the airlines that are its customers.

The problems have emerged around Europe. Booming demand for summer travel after two years of COVID-19 travel restrictions have swamped airlines and airports, which are shorthanded after many pilots, cabin crew, check-in staff, and baggage handlers were laid off. That’s left travelers facing last-minute cancellations, lengthy delays, lost luggage or long waits for bags.

Emirates, which operates six daily return flights between Heathrow and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said it’s “highly regrettable” that the airport on Wednesday night gave it 36 hours to comply with capacity cuts “of a figure that appears to be plucked from thin air.”

“Their communications not only dictated the specific flights on which we should throw out paying passengers, but also threatened legal action for non-compliance,” the airline said.

Other airlines also grumbled. British Airways, which has the biggest presence at Heathrow and has already cut 11% of its scheduled flights through October, said the restrictions were “incredibly disappointing” and that it would cancel “a small number of additional flights.”

Heathrow blames a shortage of ground staff, which are contracted by airlines to check-in passengers, load and unload bags, and prepare aircraft for their next journey.

Emirates, however, said its ground-handling and catering services are owned by its parent company and “are fully ready and capable of handling our flights.” Blame instead lies with the airport’s “central services and systems,” it said.

The airline accused Heathrow management of being “cavalier” about travelers and airlines, with signs of a strong travel rebound apparent for months. Emirates said it got ready, including rehiring and training 1,000 pilots in the past year but that Heathrow failed to act, plan or invest.

“Now faced with an ‘airmageddon’ situation due to their incompetence and non-action, they are pushing the entire burden — of costs and the scramble to sort the mess — to airlines and travelers,” the statement said.

In response, Heathrow said it has been asking airlines for months to help draw up a plan to solve their staffing challenges, “but no clear plans were forthcoming, and with each passing day, the problem got worse.”

“We had no choice but to take the difficult decision to impose a capacity cap designed to give passengers a better, more reliable journey and to keep everyone working at the airport safe,” Heathrow said. “It would be disappointing if instead of working together, any airline would want to put profit ahead a safe and reliable passenger journey.”

Rebooking so many potentially affected passengers is impossible because all flights for the next few weeks are full, including at other London airports and on other airlines, Emirates said. Moving some operations to other U.K. airports at short notice is also unrealistic, it said.

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany’s Lufthansa said this week that it’s cutting 2,000 more flights in Frankfurt and Munich, mostly at peak times in the afternoon and evening over the next week, on top of 770 flights it axed from July 8 to 14.

More scheduled flight cancellations in August “are possible at a later date,” the airline said.

London’s Gatwick and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airports also have limited daily flights or passenger numbers.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
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
×