PASSENGERS flying to Bahrain from London on British Airways (BA) today will have to reschedule their return as the flight has been cancelled.
It was among more than 30 flights that were cancelled at Heathrow, with hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport.
Many passengers took to social media to complain of ‘total chaos’ at the UK’s largest airport with some claiming that they weren’t informed that their flights were cancelled until they had arrived at the airport.
Online reports have confirmed that the BA staff at London Heathrow airport have voted to strike after the airline failed to roll back a 10 per cent pay cut imposed during the pandemic.
The strike is likely to take place during the peak summer holiday period over the next two months.
Earlier yesterday, Britain’s busiest airport Heathrow asked airlines to cancel 30 scheduled flights due to passenger numbers exceeding the airport’s capacity, according to a Reuters report.
The scheduled flight returning to Bahrain today cancelled
Britain told airlines it was down to them to avoid a repeat of recent chaotic scenes at airports during the upcoming holiday season, publishing a 22-point support plan that included a call to run ‘realistic’ summer schedules.
The year has so far been marked by widespread disruption, including long queues and cancelled flights caused by staff shortages, leaving airlines and airports struggling to keep up with a surge in demand after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government’s planned measures for the industry included help in recruiting staff, but it also said they should run realistic schedules and support passengers when delays and cancellations are unavoidable.
Critics have accused airlines of selling more tickets than they can honour, a charge they deny.
Meanwhile, UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps stated that the plan is the latest move by the government to try and relieve some of the pressure as relaxed rules around airport slots helped scheduling.
He added that airports and airlines must commit to running flights they promised or cancel them with enough time to spare.
“We are working hard to ensure everyone has a smooth journey through Heathrow this summer, and the most important thing is to make sure that all service providers at the airport have enough resources to meet demand,” said a Heathrow spokesperson.
“We apologise for the impact this has on travel plans.”
The GDN reported on Sunday that expatriate families in Bahrain hoping to return to Europe for summer holidays were getting caught up in a wave of airline and public transport strike action as inflation causes labour unrest across the continent.
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