Heathrow boss warns of BA-style mass redundancies

Heathrow airport has warned that it may soon follow BA in announcing mass redundancies unless the government restores confidence by planning for how flying could restart. The CE, John Holland-Kaye, said physical distancing measures could not work in airports and common international standards for health controls were needed, such as temperature screening at the entrance to airports and the wearing of face masks throughout the process to ensure a low risk of transmission. Passenger numbers at the UK’s largest airport fell by 97% in April, and Holland-Kaye urged the government to take a lead in developing a global agreement for new measures. He said while forward bookings implied there was still “massive demand for travel”, it was vital to plan ahead. “If we don’t do that work now, the UK economy will not get back on its feet as quickly as it should. We must have a package of measures that does not involve social distancing … It is impossible for transport, let alone aviation … You need a queue a kilometre long for one plane with 450 people, if you need social distancing – the problem isn’t the plane it’s the airport,” he said. “We want to make sure that only people with a low risk of infection are travelling. That’s likely to include some form of temperature screening when you come into the airport.” Holland-Kaye said it would become normal for people to wear face masks and more parts of the airport process could be automated to reduce contact between passengers and staff. But he warned that without government planning, to ensure confidence that flying would restart, there would be widespread layoffs.<br/>