LONDON, England: British Airways has halted ticket sales for short-haul flights that depart before the middle of August from London's Heathrow airport, following the Th

British Air said this week that the suspension of ticket sales for domestic and European destinations was designed to leave sufficient airport capacity for existing customers to rebook flights, if needed.

The airline's website shows no tickets for flights departing before August 16 to popular European destinations, including Paris, Milan and Amsterdam.

A British Airways spokesperson declined to comment on how long the sales pause would continue, or the destinations affected, but said the airline was seeking to manage capacity restrictions, which Heathrow had said would last until September 11.

"We've been taking responsible action by limiting sales ... on some of our Heathrow services to ensure more seats are available to rebook customers," he said.

Heathrow told airlines on July 12 to limit the number of tickets they sold for flights departing over the next two months, in order to place a cap on the total number of passengers flying at 100,000 per day and limit queues, delays and cancellations.

Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has taken similar action.

Airlines and airports across 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.

On July 6, British Air said it would reduce its summer schedule and "consolidate some of our quieter services."

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