Air Serbia to cut select London flights over Heathrow chaos
NEWS FLASH
Air Serbia will cancel its second daily service from Belgrade to London Heathrow on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month starting July 9 due to the UK airport’s inability to handle the aircraft. This past weekend, Air Serbia was forced to operate the afternoon flight despite being notified by Heathrow that the ground handling company would be unable to cater to the aircraft, since the Serbian carrier was threatened with the loss of its historic Heathrow landing and departure slots. As a result, the airline maintained the afternoon service to the UK capital over the weekend, requiring passengers only to travel with hand luggage, while the return flight was cancelled and the aircraft returned to Belgrade without any passengers. “The Serbian national airline has been put in a paradoxical situation that it is being told that it will not be possible for its passengers, their luggage and aircraft to be handled, while on the other hand, it is insisted that the flights have to be operated, even partially or completely empty”, Air Serbia said. A government "amnesty" to the rules on airport slots has since been brought into place, allowing airlines to change schedules without facing a potential penalty.
Numerous airlines are also expected to announce further cancellations at the airport this week aimed at minimising disruption in the peak holiday season. Over the weekend customers complained about having to wait hours in huge lines at security and passport control at Heathrow Airport. The situation was further exasperated after planes were unable to depart for hours on Saturday due to a “fuel issue”. Staff shortages, issues with baggage handling services and a lack of trained security staff are all contributing to the disruption seen at many of the UK's major commercial airports this year. Heathrow and Gatwick have both started pre-emptively cancelling flights, while government officials are reportedly toying with the idea of introducing a surge pricing scheme for planes that operate during peak hours.
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