Budget airline easyJet says it will cut about four flights a day to take pressure off staff and avoid the scheduling glitches that led to 28 cancellations in July during rapid expansion.
Word of the move came in a letter to pilots from operations director Mr Vilhelm Hahn-Petersen which said the company's 62 per cent passenger growth in July had caused "severe disruption" which could not continue, easyJet said.
As of next week, the Luton-based airline said it planned to cancel four or so flights on routes with low loads. EasyJet operates about 250 flights a day.
The move comes after July cancellations affected around 3,600 of the 1.08 million passengers the airline carried that month.
Budget carriers use fast turnarounds between an aircraft's arrival and departure to cut costs and undercut traditional carriers on short routes.
The speed of their turnaround can make them vulnerable to cancellations when technical or staffing problems occur.
EasyJet blamed July cancellations on problematic air traffic control, unserviceable aircraft, a new roster for aircrews and problems due to work on Luton airport.
EasyJet's record-breaking expansion comes as it competes with Ryanair to maintain its top spot in Europe.
The pressure put on pilots to meet schedules and achieve rapid growth recently brought claims from one unnamed air traffic controller that safety could be put at risk.
Industry analysts say budget airlines have an excellent safety record but admit there is a fine balance between a quick, cheap, rapidly expanding service and safety.