Emirates clashes with Heathrow over demand to slash capacity

Emirates rejected demands by London Heathrow airport to cut capacity and said it will operate its flights as planned, days after the hub said it would ask airlines to stop selling tickets for the busy summer season and limit daily passenger numbers.

The carrier, which operates six daily Airbus SE A380 superjumbo jets to Heathrow from its base in Dubai, said the airport operator gave it just 36 hours notice to limit passenger capacity and it was impossible to rebook travelers onto other flights as its services were full for the next weeks. 

Heathrow imposed an unprecedented two-month cap on passenger traffic to contain flight chaos, asking carriers to limit departing people to 100,000 through Sept. 11. The hub said the curbs were needed because new recruits were not “up to full speed” while  some key functions, like ground handlers for baggage, remain significantly under-resourced. 

The pushback by Emirates sets up a clash between Heathrow and one of its most important and loyal customers. The A380s landing daily in London constitute more than 3,000 passengers at full capacity. Emirates dismissed the argument, saying its ground handling and catering operations are run by one of its group companies and therefore not affected by the shortages.

Heathrow “chose not to act, not to plan, not to invest,” Emirates said in the statement. “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.”