UK airports lost GBP10,000 per minute between March and June

So gravely has the coronavirus pandemic hit UK airports that collectively they lost over GBP10,000 per minute for four months in a row. That future is calculated by the Airport Operators Association (AOA), which calculates the combined loss between March and June at almost GBP2b. The group predicts UK airports will lose a further GBP2b during the last six months of 2020. The Covid-19 crisis brought international aviation to a near-standstill, in what the AOA CE, Karen Dee, calls “the worst four months in the history of commercial aviation”. Some airports closed altogether, while the busiest – Heathrow – lost 95% of its normal passenger throughput in June compared with a year earlier. Gatwick and Heathrow have both halved the number of terminals they are using, while Heathrow has temporarily closed its southern runway. The AOA’s figures cover airports only, not the indirect impact on the businesses and communities around UK airport sites. “Such losses undermines the ability of airport business to power the future prosperity of their local economies, forgoing crucial investment projects and, unfortunately, causing job losses,” says the AOA. levels of activity. Financial relief measures are still desperately needed.”<br/>