Heathrow Airport berates government over COVID-19 test costs as passenger numbers return to March 2020 levels

Heathrow Airport reported a 74% jump in passenger numbers in July due to the easing of travel restrictions, but criticised the UK government for not doing enough to lower the cost of mandatory COVID-19 tests. “Government must now capitalise on the vaccine dividend and seize the opportunity to replace expensive PCR tests with more affordable lateral flow tests,” said chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe. More than 1.5mln travellers passed through Heathrow last month, the highest monthly number since March 2020, compared with almost 867,000 passengers in July 2020. However, 7.5mln passengers travelled in July 2019. “Despite signs of recovery, passenger numbers are still down over 80% on pre-pandemic July 2019 as barriers to travel remain,” it said in a statement. “Ministers committed to reducing testing costs over three months ago, however, the UK still stands as an outlier with Europe slashing their prices and, in some cases, subsiding them. Meanwhile, the cost of testing in the UK remains prohibitive for many, as industry calls for VAT to be scrapped, alongside the use of cheaper lateral flow for low-risk destinations.” “This will keep people safe and will avoid travel becoming the preserve for the wealthy,” it said. North American passenger numbers surged almost 230% year on year and Heathrow is set to further increase its transatlantic offering, as it welcomes American carrier JetBlue later this week. Fully vaccinated US visitors can travel to the UK without the need to quarantine and Heathrow is calling for the joint UK/US travel taskforce to reach a reciprocal agreement for fully vaccinated UK travellers. A-fjord-able flights Norse Atlantic Airways gave an update yesterday on its plans to launch low-cost long-haul operations. The company said it believes that demand for transatlantic travel will be back by late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2022. “Based on the current situation, we anticipate that all our 15 Dreamliners will be flying customers between Europe and the US next summer,” said chief executive Bjørn Tore Larsen. “Like the Norsemen who traveled and explored the world with their state-of-the art longships, Norse Atlantic Airways will give people the opportunity to explore other continents by offering affordable flights on board modern and more environmentally friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliners,” he added.