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Londra Gazete, 27 October 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 7

Heathrow passenger cap

could return for Christmas

HEATHROW Airport could im- the surge in demand for inter- Europe, with 18 million people
pose a cap on passenger numbers national travel, following the re- passing through its terminals.
at busy times around Christmas, moval of Covid restrictions. But July move prompted a back-
bosses have said. Airlines were asked to cut lash from one of its main airlines
A 100,000 daily cap imposed flights from schedules over the Emirates, which initially reject-
over the summer due to staff summer and Heathrow itself ed the airport's demands to stop
shortages will be lifted at the end faced baggage handling problems, selling summer tickets, calling it
National Grid raises discounts for of October. which resulted in a sea of luggage "unreasonable and unacceptable".
piling up at Terminal 2 after a
It accused airport of having a
But Heathrow warned it could
off-peak electricity use return "if needed" to avoid flight technical malfunction. "blatant disregard" for customers
cancellations in the run-up to the In a bid to curb cancellations, and said it faced "an 'airmaged-
THE value of discounts on elec- run very low. Heathrow imposed its 100,000 don' situation due to their in-
tricity bills for households that cut Writing in the Guardian on festive period. daily cap over the peak summer competence and non-action", be-
peak-time use is to be raised, Na- Thursday, Fintan Slye, the director Britain's largest airport said season and despite the policy, the fore the Dubai-based airline later
tional Grid ESO has said. of National Grid ESO, said busi- passenger numbers were unlikely airport said it was the busiest in agreed to the cap.
Households will be paid £3 per nesses and homes "can become to return to pre-pandemic levels
kilowatt hour instead of 52p, if virtual power plants and, crucially, "for a number of years".
they avoid high-power activities, get paid like one too". Heathrow bosses expect there
such as cooking, when demand is "For a consumer that could mean to be 25% fewer travellers this
high, the firm said. a typical household could save ap- year compared to 2019, with
Energy firms Octopus and E.On proximately £100, and industrial up to 62 million people passing
had said the 52p payment to in- and commercial businesses with through.
centivise customers to sign up was larger energy usage could save The cost-of-living crisis,
too low. multiples of this," he said. Ukraine war and impact of Covid
The scheme is aimed at easing The service, which National Grid had hit demand for international
pressure on UK power grids this wants to launch in November, will travel, it said.
winter. only be available to homes with Thousands of passengers have
National Grid said at the begin- smart meters installed. faced delays and flight cancella-
ning of October that in a worse- There are about 14 million tions in recent months with air-
case scenario, planned power cuts households with electricity smart ports and airlines struggling to
could be necessary if gas supplies meters in the UK. recruit enough staff to cope with