Activity at Heathrow set to fall by 90% in April

(Sharecast News) - Heathrow airport predicted that passenger traffic would plunge by 90% in April due to the travel restrictions in place across the globe.
Currently, the majority of passengers were stranded citizens in need of repatriation with non-essential travel currently banned.

In March, passenger numbers fell by 52% to 3.1m in comparison to a year ago, Heathrow said.

The total number of flights landing and taking off at Heathrow - comprising passenger planes and cargo - declined by 35% to 25,798.

Significantly, the airport said it was likely that the decline in demand would have lasting and significant effect on the industry.

Destinations and arrivals on the departure board on Tuesday include Manchester, Doha, New York and Frankfurt - operated by airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and United Airlines.

Nevertheless, the number of cargo-only flights had jumped during the crisis. On some days, Heathrow had even had to handle 38 cargo flights on a single day, marking a significant rise when compared to the usual 47 cargo flights per week.

Heathrow said it is prioritising cargo flights transporting medical supplies, including ventilators, medicines or Covid-19 testing kits.

The airport's chief executive officer, John Holland-Kaye, said: "Heathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open and helping people get home. Now is the time to agree a common international standard for healthcare screening in airports so that when this crisis recedes, people can travel with confidence and we can get the British economy moving again."