Heathrow passenger numbers are still down nearly 90% compared to the same period in 2019 and are considerably lower than the current numbers of EU rivals.
According to data published by the London airport on Monday, European countries that have supported their aviation sectors during the coronavirus crisis are seeing a faster recovery.
Both Schiphol and Frankfurt have surpassed their 2019 cargo volumes, growing by 14% and 9% respectively when compared to 2019. Heathrow remains down 16% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Specifically, the closure of Britain’s transatlantic links is costing the UK economy at least £23m a day. The UK faces the risk of losing its competitive advantage on transatlantic trade if the situation continues and borders remain closed.
Passenger traffic from Heathrow to the US remained down by 80%, whereas in the EU, it was only 40% lower, because the bloc had unilaterally reopened its borders with the US.
“While it’s fantastic news that some double-vaccinated passengers will no longer need to quarantine from amber countries, Ministers need to extend this policy to US and EU nationals if they want to kickstart the economic country,” said Heathrow’s CEO, John Holland-Kay.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow are currently working together to demonstrate that 100% vaccination status can be carried out at check-in and that there is no reason to maintain restrictions for passengers from the US and EU from 31 July.
