Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Heathrow Airport reported an 88% decline in passenger numbers in July as compared to last year, with just 860,000 passengers passing through. However, due to the government’s efforts to open travel corridors from July 4, irrespective of the low figure, a slightly positive graph of figures can be noticed considering the situation earlier in the year.
More than half of these passengers, over 480,000, ventured to European destinations to make the most of the quarantine free 2020 summer season. But the vast majority of the Heathrow route network (approximately 60%) remains grounded and requires a 14-day quarantine on arrival, ultimately preventing the U.K. from travelling to and trading with these countries.
John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive, Heathrow Airport said in a statement that tens of thousands of jobs are being lost because Britain remains cut off from critical markets such as the U.S., Canada and Singapore. He shared that the government can save jobs by introducing testing to cut quarantine from high risk countries, while keeping the public safe from a second wave of COVID-19. He also stated the best way to achieve this would be comprehensive airport testing regime that can allow new routes to open up safely and start the process of economic recovery.
Tags: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Heathrow, heathrow airport
