Heathrow records highest passenger numbers since start of pandemic

Heathrow Airport has recorded its highest passenger numbers since the start of the pandemic, but warned that “resources are stretched” as the travel industry struggles to handle resurgent demand for flying.

The London airport was used by 4.2 million passengers in March, up nearly seven times on a year ago, after the UK government abolished restrictions on travelling.

“It is fantastic to see the airport coming back to life after two years,” said Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye.

The rebound in passenger numbers in March follows a weak January and February.

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However, the aviation industry has struggled to cope with the revival in demand after cutting staff during two years of disruption with passengers returning faster than travel companies can rehire.

The industry cut tens of thousands of employees during the height of the coronavirus crisis.

Executives warn many staff have permanently left an industry known for long and anti-social hours, and said it was taking much longer than usual for staff to pass government-required security checks.

Unions argue the industry is suffering the consequences of sacking too many staff during the pandemic, leaving it with little resilience to handle disruption.

Holiday demand

Demand at Heathrow was driven by weekend holidaymakers and travelling during the school breaks, as Britons “make the most of the freedom to travel”, with many using trips cancelled because of the pandemic, the airport said.

“Inbound leisure and business travel remain weak due to high Covid-19 levels in the UK and the requirement to test before returning home,” it added.

The airport also cautioned the industry still faced risks, saying “it is unclear whether the current surge in outbound leisure demand is sustainable”.

It expects a busy summer with passenger numbers close to those in 2019, spurring the airport to increase its resources “as fast as possible”, with plans to hire 12,000 more people across the businesses at the airport.

“The aviation sector has been rebuilding capacity ahead of a summer peak, so resources are stretched,” the airport added.

British Airways and EasyJet have been hit by hundreds of delayed or cancelled flights in recent weeks, while Manchester Airport has warned it does not have enough staff, apologising for huge queues of passengers.

Most of the delays are happening at check-in, as many countries still require passengers to show Covid documentation when they travel, such as proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test.

Heathrow said high fuel prices, potential new Covid variants and the war in Ukraine also posed potential threats in the medium term.

The airport is pushing the UK Civil Aviation Authority to allow it to raise landing fees, which has sparked a bitter dispute with its airline customers. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022