Heathrow urges further reopening to unlock Britain’s economic potential

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Following the UK Government’s announcement that some double-vaccinated passengers will no longer need to quarantine when travelling from amber-listed countries, Heathrow airport’s CEO, John Holland-Kaye, has set out some key points that he believes Government ministers should consider for the further reopening of international travel.

“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 recovery. These changes will be critical for exporters who are losing out to EU rivals, and families who have been separated from loved ones. We have all the tools to safely restart international travel, and now is the time for Global Britain to take off!”

 

John Holland-Kaye’s key points are:

 

Heathrow passenger numbers are still nearly 90% down on pre-pandemic 2019 passenger numbers, and much lower than EU rivals.

European countries that have supported their aviation sectors throughout the pandemic are seeing the fastest growth as they emerge from the pandemic. Both Schiphol and Frankfurt have surpassed their 2019 cargo volumes, growing by 14% and 9% respectively compared to 2019, whereas cargo tonnage at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest port, is still down 16%. Almost all air cargo is carried in the hold of passenger planes, and UK travel restrictions are limiting trade compared to our EU rivals.

The closure of Britain’s transatlantic links is costing the UK economy at least £23 million a day. Passenger traffic from Heathrow to the USA is down by around 80%, whereas in the EU, which has reopened unilaterally with the USA, has seen traffic recover to only around 40% down. Britain’s long-held competitive advantage on transatlantic trade is at risk if borders remain closed.

Getting Britain trading again with the rest of the world is critical to the Government’s plans for a Global Britain post-Brexit. Heathrow alone has the potential to facilitate a £204 billion trade bonanza benefitting British businesses in every corner of the country, creating opportunities for the entire aviation sector and strengthening the UK’s trade network – but only if Ministers move to reopen trade as soon as possible.

The announcement that double-vaccinated UK residents will no longer be required to quarantine when returning from amber list countries from the 19th July is a great step forward. However to kickstart Britain’s economic recovery, the Government must reopen travel to fully vaccinated people from more countries, particularly our key trading partners like the USA. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow are working together to demonstrate that 100% vaccination status can be carried out at check in, and there is no reason why Government should not approve this for passengers from the US and EU from the 31st of July.

 

Traffic Summary
June 2021
Terminal Passengers
(000s)
 Jun 2021 % Change Jan to
Jun 2021
% Change Jul 2020 to
Jun 2021
% Change
Market
UK 140 608.4 468 -51.0 973 -72.0
EU 355 134.3 1,231 -74.8 4,391 -77.1
Non-EU Europe 75 191.2 309 -72.5 968 -76.1
Africa 62 590.5 360 -55.5 699 -73.0
North America 141 203.4 472 -85.8 1,013 -92.4
Latin America 17 186.9 53 -83.3 165 -83.8
Middle East 88 101.9 429 -75.2 1,164 -80.3
Asia / Pacific 80 63.9 525 -77.0 1,152 -85.7
Total 957 173.1 3,848 -75.1 10,525 -81.7
Air Transport Movements  Jun 2021 % Change Jan to
Jun 2021
% Change Jul 2020 to
Jun 2021
% Change
Market
UK 1,580 552.9 5,595 -41.2 11,237 -63.6
EU 4,639 152.1 16,697 -64.0 52,608 -65.3
Non-EU Europe 882 113.6 3,790 -63.7 10,281 -67.9
Africa 579 115.2 3,430 -17.5 6,732 -42.6
North America 2,489 46.7 13,790 -37.3 26,496 -58.9
Latin America 207 29.4 768 -54.0 2,060 -55.7
Middle East 1,240 33.5 6,887 -26.5 14,155 -43.7
Asia / Pacific 1,639 -0.8 10,278 -25.7 21,051 -43.8
Total 13,255 84.0 61,235 -47.8 144,620 -59.6
Cargo
(Metric Tonnes)
 Jun 2021 % Change Jan to
Jun 2021
% Change Jul 2020 to
Jun 2021
% Change
Market
UK 24 224.5 106 -48.6 144 -71.7
EU 10,310 96.4 60,838 89.5 104,834 32.5
Non-EU Europe 5,553 29.8 33,908 96.3 62,694 36.2
Africa 5,369 10.9 40,627 30.3 78,622 3.7
North America 37,671 35.0 224,369 11.1 409,024 -13.9
Latin America 2,478 0.2 8,585 -42.6 27,401 -34.0
Middle East 18,959 0.1 110,275 8.1 219,879 -6.7
Asia / Pacific 30,694 22.2 186,306 23.8 355,501 -5.9
Total 111,059 25.0 665,015 20.9 1,258,099 -5.5

 

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Ever since his first flight on a TriStar, Adam has loved air travel, and since becoming editor of the Aircraft Interiors International brand he has really enjoyed the opportunity to be involved with the latest aircraft and airline products before they are even launched. Adam co-ordinates the running of the magazine, from commissioning articles and artwork, to ensuring that high standards of quality are maintained, as well as managing online content. Adam is proud to sit on the jury of the Crystal Cabin Awards and to have laid on the bed in Etihad's Residence.

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