Heathrow joins calls for plan for reopening travel as passenger numbers plunge
Heathrow Airport added its voice to calls to see a plan for rolling back the UK’s new border restrictions as passenger numbers dropped 89 per cent in January.
The country’s largest airport said that it was vital that Boris Johnson include details of how international travel would restart when he lays out the government’s lockdown-lifting roadmap on 22 February.
Under the new restrictions, all incoming passengers to the UK have to take two coronavirus tests after arrival.
From Monday, those who come from 33 high-risk countries – like Brazil, Portugal, or South Africa – have to pay £1750 to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.
Failure to do so will see travellers hit with stinging fines or even jail sentences.
The airport saw just 677,000 passengers pass through in January, with the bulk of these coming from the EU and Middle East.
Just 11,000 people came from Latin America, where several of the “red-listed” high risk countries are located.
Cargo volume also fell 21 per cent in the first month of the year, which Heathrow said was a sign of the economic impact of the aviation shutdown.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We support the Government in measures required to protect public health.
“But these additional requirements are essentially a border closure. That will inevitably delay the country’s recovery and hurt the UK’s supply chains. We need to see the flight plan for the safe restart of international travel as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap on 22 February.”
He also called for new support to be agreed to “preserve our vital aviation infrastructure to support economic recovery when it comes”.
“That means the Chancellor must use next month’s budget to deliver the minimum help that aviation needs with 100 per cent business rates relief and an extension of the furlough scheme.”