Heathrow calls on government to reopen US links as numbers remain "much lower" than EU airports

The UK’s biggest airport has called on the government to reopen links to the US as its passenger numbers remain “much lower” than EU competitors.

Heathrow Airport has reported today (July 12) that its passenger numbers are down nearly 90 per cent on pre-pandemic figures.

It said that traffic from Heathrow to the US is down by approximately 80 per cent, while EU figures are around only 40 per cent lower.

The airport said in its report today that the closure of links to the US is costing the UK economy “at least” £23m a day, and that travel should be reopened for fully vaccinated people from more countries.

John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow, commented: “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!”