Heathrow passenger numbers were 88 per cent down during second lockdown with SIX MILLION less flyers using the airport than last November
- Last month Heathrow airport saw an 88% drop in passenger numbers from 2019
- Six million fewer passengers travelled through the airport, said chief executive
- He warned the British economy was suffering as a result of the sector’s difficulty
- Aviation industry has been hard hit by lockdowns and international travel bans
The British economy will not recover from coronavirus until the aviation industry is back on its feet, Heathrow Airport’s chief executive has warned.
Only one million people flew from Britain’s largest airport last month – an 88% drop from the seven million passengers recorded at the same time last year.
The aviation industry has been decimated by coronavirus as international travel bans have been imposed around the globe, leading to an unprecedented drop in passenger numbers.
Only one million people flew from Heathrow Airport last month – an 88% drop from the seven million passengers recorded at the same time last year
The figures show how few people travelled abroad during the most recent national lockdown and also represent a sharp drop in cargo markets last month.
The London airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said the struggling aviation industry was also having a knock on effect on Britain’s economy.
The London airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said the struggling aviation industry was also having a knock on effect on Britain’s economy
He warned that until the nation gets flying again, we are holding back trade.
Mr Holland-Kaye told Sky News: ‘We had around one million passengers in November – normally we would have seven million passsengers coming through at this time of the year.
‘This shows not only hows devastaing this has been for aviation but for the UK economy as a while, because aviation provides our long distance trading networks.
‘Yet without those plans flying our goods are not getting to global markets.
‘Until we can get planes flying again we will be holding back the rest of the UJK economy which relies on aviation to get their goods to market.’
Heathrow is the UK biggest trading port with 40% of the UKs exports passing through the hub airport.
Heathrow has seen passenger numbers drop dramatically during the last six months.
Passenger numbers in July during the first national lockdown was reportedly down a staggering 95% year-on-year.
Heathrow is the UK biggest trading port with 40% of the UKs exports passing through the hub airport (pictured stock image)
But there was a last minute dash to airports in early November ahead of a second lockdown coming into effect on the 5th.
Bookings boomed after the Government announced holidays in England and abroad would be banned from November 5 until December 2.
But travellers already on holiday – or who left before the lockdown came into effect – would not have to need to return from their trips early.
It saw passenger queues snaking around the airport as desperate Brits tried to get away before the majority of international travel was once again banned.
But the surge still meant that six million less passengers passed through the airport in the entire month compared to the same period in 2019.
The struggles of the aviation industry has seen mass redundancies.
Pilots, air hostesses, caterers and ground staff are all among those who were put on furlough to ride out the pandemic.
Britain’s major airports Heathrow and Gatwick feared they would have to cut more than a quarter of their workforce to ensure their survival.