Heathrow passenger numbers fall nearly 75 per cent in 2020
Just 22.1m passengers passed through Heathrow Airport in 2020, it was revealed today, a 73 per cent fall year-on-year.
The UK’s biggest airport said that the coronavirus had seen 58m fewer travellers pass through its gates than in 2019.
Cargo volumes through Britain’s biggest port also fell 28.2 per cent because of restrictions on international trade.
Since March, air travel has been buffeted by wave after wave of restrictions due to the pandemic, sending demand back to levels not seen for decades.
Despite the lifting of some restrictions in December, passenger numbers at Heathrow fell 83 per cent in the final month of the year, to 1.1m.
As a result in the decline in passengers, Heathrow lost its title as Europe’s largest airport to Charles de Gaulle in October.
At the moment, incoming passengers to the UK are required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before entry in a bid to limit the importing of infections from overseas.
Heathrow’s chief exec John Holland-Kaye said that the measures should be temporary if the airline industry was to recover.
“While we support tightening border controls temporarily by introducing pre-departure testing for international arrivals, as well as quarantine, this is not sustainable”, he said.
“The aviation industry is the cornerstone of the UK economy but is fighting for survival. We need a road map out of this lockdown, and a full waiver of business rates.
“This is an opportunity for the government to show leadership in creating a Common International Standard for pre-departure testing that will allow travel and trade to restart safely so that we can start to deliver the Prime Minister’s vision of a Global Britain.”