Ryanair sought to cash in on "hopeless" Heathrow's passenger cap yesterday by announcing hundreds of extra flights from a rival airport.

The budget airline said it will add more than 500 flights to and from London Stansted over the October half-term holiday period.

It means an extra 100,000 passengers will be able to pass through the hub, which is Ryanair's biggest base in England.

The airline's boss Michael O'Leary taunted Heathrow yesterday, saying: "While hopeless Heathrow continues to cut flights and raise fares for families, Ryanair and London Stansted continue to add flights, and offer thousands of low-fare seats for the autumn mid-term break.

"While Heathrow continues to mismanage air travel, Ryanair and London Stansted will continue to grow and deliver for London families, the way we have through all of summer 2022."

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The airline insisted that Ryanair and Stansted have "more than sufficient staff to handle these additional flights".

Ryanair has been one of the better performing carriers in recent months, cancelling far fewer flights than airlines such as British Airways and easyJet.

On Monday, Heathrow announced that it will not lift its ban on daily outbound travellers next month as planned - meaning up to one million seats could be axed from airline schedules.

The draconian cap, which was set to end on September 11, will now continue until the end of October. It throws families' hopes for a half-term break into chaos and means fares could soar even higher.

The airport has warned the cap could last until next summer if airlines don't drastically ramp up the number of ground handling staff they employ.

Paul Charles, chief executive at travel consultancy The PC Agency, said the plan will cause "stress and frustration" for millions of passengers.

He added: "The ongoing uncertainty... is putting people off and encouraging them to either switch to other airports or not to travel overseas."