British Airways flight cancellations: BA to axe 10,300 more flights until end of October

British Airways has announced it will cancel a further 10,300 short-haul flights until the end of October.

The move takes the percentage of cancellations across the airline to a total of 13% this summer, with the airline already cancelling hundreds of flights on a daily basis.

It comes ahead of a deadline on Friday for airlines to finalise their summer schedule.

The government recently announced a a one-off “amnesty” on airport slots rules, allowing airlines to plan ahead and deliver a more realistic summer schedule with a view to minimising disruption at airports.

Why is BA cancelling so many flights?

BA has been one of the worst affected carriers in terms of schedule disruption in recent months as the aviation industry battles increased demand and staff shortages.

In a statement the airline said it was “not where we wanted to be” but believed the cuts were “the right thing to do for our customers and colleagues”.

It said: “The whole aviation industry continues to face into significant challenges and we’re completely focused on building resilience into our operation to give customers the certainty they deserve.

“The Government recently decided to give the whole industry slot alleviation to minimise potential disruption this summer.

“While taking further action is not where we wanted to be, it’s the right thing to do for our customers and our colleagues.

“This new flexibility means that we can further reduce our schedule and consolidate some of our quieter services so that we can protect as many of our holiday flights as possible.

“While most of our flights are unaffected and the majority of customers will get away as planned, we don’t underestimate the impact this will have and we’re doing everything we can to get their travel plans back on track.

“We’re in touch to apologise and offer rebooking options for new flights with us or another airline as soon as possible or issue a full refund.”