British Airways has suspended ticket sales for short-haul flights from Heathrow airport for the next seven days, a move that threatens further disruption to business and leisure travellers. Ticket sales on short-haul flights from Britain’s busiest airport have been suspended until August 8, the airline confirmed on Monday. The move will affect BA’s domestic and European routes. The British flag carrier has had to act in the face of Heathrow airport’s decision last month to cap the number of passenger numbers at 100,000 a day until September 11. Britain’s busiest airport at the time also asked airlines to stop selling tickets for the next two months in order to limit delays that have wreaked havoc with people’s travel plans. BA said that as the result of Heathrow’s “request to limit new bookings” it had 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”.<br/>
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Japan Airlines expects to swing back to the black by the quarter ending 30 September, as passenger travel and cargo segments continue to recover. The Tokyo-based carrier forecasts a “steady recovery” in travel demand through the summer travel season, particularly in the peak period of July-August. “As the society shifts toward a balance of socio-economic activities and Covid-19 prevention, both international and domestic passenger demand have been steadily recovering. There still exists various uncertain external environments including the Russia-Ukraine situation or price hike of raw materials including fuel,” the carrier states. In an apparent reference to the operational woes confronting carriers in Europe and the USA, JAL adds that it has “no major concerns about our resources”, which it defines as its fleet and manpower, in the ramp-up for the summer travel period. The carrier disclosed its forecast as part of its quarterly financial results, where it narrowed its losses for the three months to 30 June. During the period, JAL posted an operating loss of Y30.2 billion ($231 million), an improvement on the Y76.8 billion operating loss disclosed in the same quarter last year. Revenue jumped two-fold year on year to Y268 billion, led by a sharp uptick in international travel takings, which was five times higher compared to 2021. Cargo and mail revenue, meanwhile, rose about 37% year on year. “Passenger demand that had decreased significantly by the COVID infection was on a recovery trend again in this first quarter due to the advancement of vaccination and adjustment to a post-COVID lifestyle,” says JAL, noting that the easing of entry restrictions globally, coupled with the broadening of arrival caps into Japan, helped lift revenue.<br/>