Heathrow Observes 82 Percent Fall In Passenger Numbers

During the month of September, Heathrow observed an 82 percent fall in passenger numbers. The airport had welcomed around 1.2 million passengers last month. This number was down from 5.5 million in 2019.

COVID-19 has massively impacted the aviation industry

Figures from Heathrow show that major trips being taken by travellers are to the remaining European destinations on the UK quarantine safe list.

However, since the launch of this list, the number of countries on it has sharply decreased. Presently, 61 countries require a 14-day quarantine period.

Due to international border closures and a lack of testing, long-haul business travel continues to be restricted. Heathrow states that opening up this kind of travel is crucial for the economic recovery of UK.

York Aviation estimates that the UK economy is losing GBP 32 million a day. This is due to air travel being closed with the US.

To tackle this and restore the damage COVID-19 has had on the aviation and travel industry, the UK government announced the creation of a global travel taskforce. To improve the situation, the task force will assess what changes can be made.

UNWTO, FAITH, Heathrow

However, John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive, Heathrow, said, “The government’s global travel taskforce is a great step forward, but it needs to act quickly to save the millions of UK jobs that rely on aviation. Implementing ‘test and release’ after five days of quarantine would kick start the economy.”

He added, “But the government can show real leadership by working with the US to develop a common international standard for pre-departure testing. This would allow only COVID-free passengers to travel from high-risk countries.”

Also Read: Research: Since March, India Tops In Last Minute Flight Bookings

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