Airlines reportedly ‘lack confidence’ in Heathrow airport bosses after a summer marred by incidents has caused travel chaos.
A scathing letter written by Heathrow AOC – the body representing 90 airlines – accuses Britain’s biggest airport of ‘poor’ management during the disruption.
It also complained of crisis calls being mismanaged and of communication during incidents.
Holidaymakers this month spoke of ‘utter chaos’ with roads leading up to Heathrow gridlocked when a ‘technical fault’ caused a tunnel connecting to Terminals 2 and 3 to close.
Passengers were told to go to Terminal 5 and get on the Elizabeth Line or Heathrow Express to reach the terminals, only for the services to be suspended due to overcrowding.
Many carriers expressed their dismay about the airport’s handling, reported The Times, with ‘people effectively being stuck inside the CTA [Central Terminal Area] and mass congestion affecting not only passengers but airline crews too’.
It was the second incident to cause delays at the airport in just one week after an IT issue with a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) centre led to more than 100 cancellations of flights across the country.
The letter, seen by The Times, read: ‘The view of the AOC Executive is that the management of these events has been poor, which has resulted in significant impact to carriers.’
Passengers queuing inside Heathrow Airport after a ‘technical issue’ caused the tunnel connecting terminals to close last week
Dozens of vehicles can be seen gridlocked on roads leading up to the airport following the tunnel shutdown last Tuesday
Images of traffic filling the motorway were shared alongside a post showing long queues on August 5
A Heathrow spokeswoman said: ‘Working collaboratively with airport partners is why Heathrow is the most punctual and busiest airport in Europe, delivering record service levels in security, baggage, and safety.
‘We learn from any regrettable disruption, and one of the key areas where we can unlock better, more resilient service for customers is by expanding the airport, which is why we welcome the government’s strong desire to deliver the project at pace.’
The tunnel shutdown chaos caused panic for travellers on one of the busiest weeks of the summer holidays.
Frustrated passengers shared images of traffic filling the motorway as well as pictures of huge queues inside the airport.
One penned on X: ‘People running with their luggage in the roads. Shameful.’
Another added: ‘People running dragging cases on the motorway now. Find a solution!’
Others inside the airport said ‘confused, stressed’ passengers have been left with no idea ‘what is happening’ and complained that airport staff were not helping the situation.
‘Hey @HeathrowAirport – do better!! Utter chaos today. No staff helping massive amounts of confused, stressed passengers,’ one user wrote.
Dozens of passengers seen crammed inside the busy airport last week. Some claimed they felt like they ‘were running out of air’ after getting stuck in an underground tunnel
A sea of passengers wait outside Heathrow Airport terminals two and three which were closed due to the ‘technical fault’ on Tuesday last week
Heathrow Airport this month unveiled its plans for a third runway which bosses believe can be built within a decade
A fourth person said: ‘Been at Heathrow for an hour caught between the lifts and terminal tunnel and no one knows what is happening, this country is knackered.’
Heathrow airport recently pledged to cut waiting times at airport security.
Heathrow promised that 95 per cent of passengers will pass through security in under five minutes by 2031.
The airport is also planning to redesign its terminals to improve the passenger experience by creating 70,000 sqm more space for travellers, reports The Times.
Terminals 3 and 5 are also set to get more shops and restaurants while the airport has pledged that 99 per cent of bags will arrive on time due to new technology.
The airport said the technology would mean that 1.25 million fewer bags ended up lost.
Heathrow’s new plans will form part of a £10bn investment to upgrade the passenger experience at the major airport.
While earlier this month, it unveiled its designs for a third runway.
