Heathrow Airport advocates for corona testing passengers from risk countries

London Heathrow Airport wants passengers from high-risk countries to be tested for the coronavirus before departure. How soon the testing can start depends on the government, but it could be up and running by September.

airplane at gate london heathrow airport

Coronavirus causes many cancelled flights

Testing passengers on Covid-19 before departure from high-risk countries will allow long-haul flights for resuming. This is crucial for the recovery of the United Kingdom’s economy, since thousands of flights have been cancelled due to the coronavirus. London Heatrow’s CEO John Holland-Kaye fears that the UK will otherwise lag behind the competition.

Testing for corona before flight could stimulate travelling

CEO Holland-Kaye is pleased with the quarantine-free flights that the UK government has allowed mainly from European countries since the beginning of this month, but this concerns only 30 percent of destinations that are accessible from London Heathrow. Passengers from most other countries must be quarantined after arrival. Testing passengers for the coronavirus before departure could stimulate travelling again.  

Number of passengers decreased enormously

Earlier EUclaim announced that UK’s largest airport welcomed approximately 228,000 passengers in May this year, while it welcomed 6.8 million passengers in the same month last year. Yesterday, July 29 2020, London Heathrow revealed that the airport now has lost just over £1 billion before tax and adjustments in the first six months of 2020. The airport also announced that the number of passengers using the airport had fallen by 60 percent compared to the same period last year.

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