Heathrow calls for airport testing as passenger numbers drop 88 per cent
Around 88 per cent fewer people travelled through Heathrow Airport in July compared with last year as the coronavirus pandemic continued to strangle air travel.
In total, over 860,000 people used the airport last month, a slight uplift from the 350,000 who did so in June, which Heathrow said was down to the government’s “travel corridors” policy.
Over half of these passengers – 480,000 – travelled to European destinations included on the government’s list of quarantine-free countries.
Despite the policy, 60 per cent of Heathrow’s network is currently grounded, due to the requirement for incoming passengers from most countries to self-isolate for 14 days.
The airport said that testing upon arrival could “safely open up these routes and kickstart the UK’s economic recovery”.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said that the government could save jobs by instigating an in-airport testing regime.
“Tens of thousands of jobs are being lost because Britain remains cut off from critical markets such as the US, Canada and Singapore”, he said.
“The government can save jobs by introducing testing to cut quarantine from higher risk countries, while keeping the public safe from a second wave of Covid.”
The aviation sector has been particularly badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which all but brought a complete stop to global air travel for several months.
Although some 60-odd countries are included on the government’s quarantine-free list, many key markets, such as the US, remain restricted.
Several countries, including Spain and Belgium, have also been removed from the list in recent weeks due to a surge in infections.