The London airport is said to have opened talks with airlines about bringing back flight restrictions in a bid to limit passenger numbers over the festive season.

According to The Telegraph, the restrictions are designed to prevent the airport from "being overwhelmed" over Christmas, and have been tabled to airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Earlier this year, Heathrow imposed a daily cap of 100,000 passengers as the airport and its airlines grappled with staff shortages. The airport pledged to not extend the cap beyond October.

However, Heathrow has reportedly warned troubles could "flare up" again in December, after a "new wave of Covid and the escalating situation in Ukraine" began dampening demand for air travel.

"However we expect peak days at Christmas to be very busy," the airport told The Telegraph. "We are working with our airline partners to develop a more targeted mechanism, which protects passenger service during peak periods."