Heathrow loses crown as Europe’s busiest airport
UK airport says Charles de Gaulle in Paris has had more passengers in first 9 months of the year
Heathrow airport said it has been overtaken by Charles de Gaulle in Paris as the busiest in Europe, as quarantine restrictions hamper the aviation industry’s efforts to restart mass travel.
The boss of Heathrow on Wednesday warned ministers that Britain “is falling behind” other European countries in reopening its borders and said the government has been “too slow” to introduce passenger testing.
“European leaders acted quicker and now their economies are reaping the benefits,” said chief executive John Holland-Kaye.
Charles de Gaulle had 19.3m passengers between January and the end of September, about 300,000 more than passed through Heathrow, according to the London airport’s latest figures.
The UK government has introduced a task force to review the practicalities and effectiveness of testing returning passengers, with a view to using a single test taken about a week after arrival to cut the current 14-day quarantine period.
The warning came as Heathrow reported its losses have spiralled to £1.5bn in the first nine months of the year, and said passenger numbers have fallen nearly 80 per cent. Heathrow revised its forecast for passenger numbers this year down to 22.6m.
The airport said its cash reserves were sufficient for the next 12 months “even under an extreme scenario with no revenue”.