Heathrow carries fewer passengers in 2021 than first year of pandemic
Heathrow carried fewer passengers in 2021 than in the first year of the pandemic as a wave of cancellations following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant deepened the crisis for aviation. At least 600,000 passengers cancelled trips from Heathrow in December following the discovery of the highly infectious Omicron strain that prompted a return of strict rules on travel, the UK’s largest airport said. Heathrow also warned of “significant doubt” over how quickly demand for travel would resume, and it predicted that the end of all travel and testing rules was years away. In the UK, the government has loosened some of the tough rules brought in when Omicron was first discovered, although all travellers still need to take a coronavirus test after they enter the country. “There are currently travel restrictions, such as testing, on all Heathrow routes — the aviation industry will only fully recover when these are all lifted and there is no risk that they will be reimposed at short notice, a situation which is likely to be years away,” Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said. In all, 19.4m passengers passed through the airport in 2021, just a quarter of 2019 levels, and lower than the 22.1m in 2020, when numbers were helped by a normal start to the year. Travel to Asia, where many borders are still in effect closed, was the worst hit, down 40 per cent on 2020 levels, while the only routes to experience a rise in traffic were on domestic shuttles around the UK. Several travel companies, including British Airways’ holiday arm and Virgin Atlantic, have reported a boost to ticket sales since the changes to the UK travel rules last week. But Heathrow, which has ceded its crown as Europe’s busiest airport during the crisis, used the notably downbeat commentary to urge the UK Civil Aviation Authority to allow it to raise landing fees on airlines. “The regulator must focus on an outcome that improves service, incentivises growth and maintains affordable private financing,” Holland-Kaye said.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-01-12/general/heathrow-carries-fewer-passengers-in-2021-than-first-year-of-pandemic
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Heathrow carries fewer passengers in 2021 than first year of pandemic
Heathrow carried fewer passengers in 2021 than in the first year of the pandemic as a wave of cancellations following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant deepened the crisis for aviation. At least 600,000 passengers cancelled trips from Heathrow in December following the discovery of the highly infectious Omicron strain that prompted a return of strict rules on travel, the UK’s largest airport said. Heathrow also warned of “significant doubt” over how quickly demand for travel would resume, and it predicted that the end of all travel and testing rules was years away. In the UK, the government has loosened some of the tough rules brought in when Omicron was first discovered, although all travellers still need to take a coronavirus test after they enter the country. “There are currently travel restrictions, such as testing, on all Heathrow routes — the aviation industry will only fully recover when these are all lifted and there is no risk that they will be reimposed at short notice, a situation which is likely to be years away,” Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said. In all, 19.4m passengers passed through the airport in 2021, just a quarter of 2019 levels, and lower than the 22.1m in 2020, when numbers were helped by a normal start to the year. Travel to Asia, where many borders are still in effect closed, was the worst hit, down 40 per cent on 2020 levels, while the only routes to experience a rise in traffic were on domestic shuttles around the UK. Several travel companies, including British Airways’ holiday arm and Virgin Atlantic, have reported a boost to ticket sales since the changes to the UK travel rules last week. But Heathrow, which has ceded its crown as Europe’s busiest airport during the crisis, used the notably downbeat commentary to urge the UK Civil Aviation Authority to allow it to raise landing fees on airlines. “The regulator must focus on an outcome that improves service, incentivises growth and maintains affordable private financing,” Holland-Kaye said.<br/>
