BA halts short-haul ticket sales until Aug. 8

The IAG-owned airline said the sales suspension on domestic and European destinations was designed to allow existing customers to rebook flights when needed.

Airlines and airports across Britain and Europe have struggled to cope with the rebound in post-lockdown travel, with many failing to recruit enough staff to handle check-ins and baggage handling.

Heathrow, like Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, has told airlines to limit the number of tickets they sell over the summer, after it capped the number of passengers flying from the hub at 100,000 a day to limit queues, baggage delays and cancellations.

Heathrow said last week that the cap had delivered a marked improvement in punctuality and baggage handling.

"As a result of Heathrow's request to limit new bookings, we've decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximise rebooking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry," BA said in a statement.