Heathrow airport CEO John Holland-Kaye has said the UK
government’s travel quarantine policy is “cutting British businesses off from
their international markets”, further stifling the nation’s economic recovery
following months of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
The airport, normally one of the world’s busiest aviation
hubs, saw passenger demand in August fall 81.5 per cent compared to 2019, with
only 1.4 million people travelling through it – less than a fifth of its normal
summer numbers.
It said that because long-haul markets remain effectively
shut due to the current requirement for incoming passengers to quarantine for
14 days on arrival, UK exporters and “a main source of inbound tourism,
students and investment” also remain closed. The airport reported a 34.2 per
cent drop in cargo tonnage in August compared to 2019 despite more dedicated
cargo flights operating.
According to Heathrow, more than 30 rival international
airports have already implemented testing as an alternative to quarantine, with
Frankfurt “overtaking” its business – “an early warning that Britain’s economy
will fall behind if we don’t protect our global trading network”, the airport
said.
Heathrow has a coronavirus testing site set up and ready to
accept incoming passengers, but the UK government has not given the go-ahead for
testing to be used at ports of entry as a way to avoid quarantine. Last week
transport secretary Grant Shapps told the House of Commons that ministers are
considering various testing schemes to shorten – but not eliminate – the
self-isolation period, but that the government’s research centre Porton Down
has yet to approve the use of any of the commercial testing kits being proposed
by airports. Shapps said he believes the government should not prioritise “holidaymakers”
in a public testing system that is already struggling to meet demand from people
showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Holland-Kaye said: “Britain’s economic recovery is falling
behind. Heathrow’s traffic figures for August demonstrate the extent to which
quarantine is strangling the economy, cutting British businesses off from their
international markets and blocking international students, tourists and
investors from coming here to spend money. The government has announced it is
looking at the options for reducing quarantine for passengers who test negative
for Covid-19 – but ministers urgently need to turn words into action. Every day
of further government delay costs British jobs and livelihoods.”
Heathrow is one of several UK airports warning that job cuts
may become necessary if the coronavirus crisis continues and the aviation
industry does not receive targeted support from the government. It has proposed
pay cuts to union representatives in an effort to save jobs. In addition, its largest airline customer British Airways is in the process of cutting up to 13,000 jobs as a result of the coronavirus shutdown and ongoing travel restrictions.
MPs last week joined aviation bosses in calling for a rapid decision
on airport testing, with former prime minister Theresa May saying: “If you want
to get the economy moving again, get planes flying. If you want to get planes
flying, get testing.” She added that “stopping people flying into the UK is not
going to stop Covid. It is here.”