Heathrow Airport passenger numbers plummeted from 75% to 22.1m in 2020.
The number of people passing through the airport last year was 85m less than in 2019.
In October, Heathrow was no longer considered the largest airport in Europe, with a decline in passengers winning the title for Paris’ Charles de Gaulle.
The pandemic saw a sharp drop in passengers in 2020 and despite the low December restrictions, the number of people traveling to the airport was still down 83% to 1.1m.
Recent rules mean that passengers arriving in the UK must provide negative coronavirus testing. Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye commented: “This is not sustainable by introducing prenatal testing for quarantine while temporarily supporting tighter border controls by introducing international pre-arrival testing.”
“The aviation industry is a cornerstone of the UK economy, but it is fighting for survival, and we need a roadmap from this lockdown and a complete waiver of business rates.
“This is the pre-deaperaccharh that allows travel and trade to be safely rebooted so that the government can begin to provide the Prime Minister’s global UK vision so that travel and trade can be safely reopened. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in creating a common international standard for testing,” he added. .
The airport has introduced rapid COVID testing. The airport is available for £80, with results available within an hour, and comes from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific.
“Many other countries are already using tests to keep their borders safe while resuming trade and travel,” said Netherlands Kai. “These facilities have the potential to make it easier for passengers to go to those countries and take the test and provide services to arrive,” he added.
