Heathrow airport has reported a 4.8 per cent drop in
passenger numbers for February owing to falling demand on Asian and European
routes caused by Covid-19.
In total, the London hub saw 5.4 million passengers in
February, and it said it expects demand to continue to weaken into March, bringing
further year-on-year decreases.
Several airlines have cancelled flights and reduced capacity
in recent weeks, particularly on service to mainland China and now Italy, which
is currently on lock-down due to a rising number of cases in the country.
To assure passengers, Heathrow has implemented regular
deep-cleaning procedures across all terminals and is increasing the
availability of hand sanitisers.
A dedicated Public Health England (PHE) team remains in
place at the airport and is supporting passengers showing symptoms of
coronavirus. Current processes include an early warning system allowing airline
crew to report any illness on board flights ahead of landing.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye commented: “The threat of
coronavirus is an increasing challenge for the UK and we are working day and night
to ensure Britain’s front door is open and safe for our people and passengers.
We will continue to work with the government to limit the impacts this will
have on UK plc.”