Heathrow traffic plunges 89% in January
Traffic at Heathrow fell 89% in January as the airport’s Chief Executive reiterated the need for the Government to plot a way for international travel to resume.
John Holland-Kaye said Boris Johnson must explain how borders can be lifted when he maps out his much-vaunted roadmap on 22 February.
The comments came as Heathrow reported 677,000 passengers passed through the airport in January.
That included 57,000 travelling domestically, 187,000 to the EU, 76,000 to Africa, 86,000 to North America, 11,000 to Latin America, 133,000 to the Middle East and 86,000 to Asia Pacific.
Holland-Kaye said fewer long-haul passenger flights resulted in cargo volume sliding 21% in January which he flagged as a "key indicator of the damage that travel restrictions are having on the UK’s exports and supply chain".
"We support the Government in measures required to protect public health. But these additional requirements are essentially a border closure," he said.
"That will inevitably delay the country’s recovery and hurt the UK’s supply chains. We need to see the flight plan for the safe restart of international travel as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap on 22 February.
"We also need to preserve our vital aviation infrastructure to support economic recovery when it comes and make Global Britain a reality.
"That means the Chancellor must use next month’s budget to deliver the minimum help that aviation needs with 100% business rates relief and an extension of the furlough scheme."
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