The Dubai-based carrier, Emirates Airline rejected on Thursday a directive from the UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow (LHR) instructing airlines to cancel flights and halt further ticket sales to comply with the imposed limits on passenger capacity, in a bid to resolve the months-long travel disruptions.
Inadequate communication
“It is highly regrettable that LHR last evening gave us 36 hours to comply with capacity cuts, on 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,” Emirates said in an official statement, stressing that its ground handling and catering service providers at LHR are fully ready and capable of handling the carrier’s flights.
“The crux of the issue lies with the central services and systems which are the responsibility of the airport operator,” the airline added.
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Extended disruptions
Over recent months, airports across the UK including LHR, London Gatwick Airport, and Manchester Airport, among others have struggled with crippling staff shortages and ensuing mass flight cancellations, or at best, extended delays, leaving the country’s aviation sector shorthanded and in outright chaos.
Emirates further stressed that with signals of a strong travel rebound, it planned ahead to serve customers and meet the anticipated travel demand, by rehiring and training 1,000 A380 pilots in the past year, accusing the airport of choosing “not to act, not to plan, and not to invest,” to meet the long foretold surge in demand.
“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 travellers,” Emirates added, describing the directive as a “blatant disregard for consumers.”
