Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of waiting times at Heathrow Airport on passengers; and what discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the steps being taken to reduce waiting times at that airport.

It is the responsibility of industry to manage demand, recruit and roster staff. The Aviation Minister and DfT officials continue to engage with the sector, including Heathrow to gain assurances on their operational planning and performance.

For Heathrow, this includes their planning for industrial action that coincides with the Easter period. At peak periods, passengers should be prepared that airports will be busier and should follow all advice from their airline and the airport. The Aviation Passenger Charter, published last year, makes clear the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of the sector.

On 27 March the CEO of the CAA Richard Moriarty and Director General for Aviation, Maritime and Security, Rannia Leontaridi jointly wrote to CEOs across the aviation sector to set out expectations ahead of the Summer 2023 season.

Under the CAA’s economic regulation of Heathrow, the airport is required to measure its security queues against targets of 95% of queues below 5 minutes and 99% below 10 minutes. The performance can be tracked via Heathrow’s website.