British Airways has cancelled another 1,500 flights, most of them for July. The wave of cancellations in the past weeks will affect thousands of people hoping to fly to Heathrow and Gatwick this summer.
The industry is grappling with staff shortages as demand for air travel rebounds.
British Airways had already cut 10% of scheduled flights between April and October but said “sadly” more cuts were needed.
A spokesperson from the airline, which is the UK’s largest, said: “We took pre-emptive action earlier this year to reduce our summer schedule to provide customers with as much notice as possible about any changes to their travel plans.
“As the entire aviation industry continues to face into the most challenging period in its history, regrettably, it has become necessary to make some further reductions.”
It is expected that BA will announce further cancellations in the summer before the deadline.
Airport slots give airlines the right to take off or land at a specified time on a specified day. Under normal circumstances, carriers risk losing spaces and affecting their business if they cancel flights.
On Wednesday, British Airways was also affected by a rare “schedule interference” by Heathrow Airport. Heathrow asked airlines to cut 30 flights from its Thursday morning schedule because it had more passengers than expected.
It took steps to ensure adequate security personnel were on duty at the airport for the number of passengers.