{"id":35587,"date":"2022-06-13T08:20:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T08:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/13\/heathrow-passenger-numbers-continue-to-rise-despite-aviation-struggles\/"},"modified":"2022-06-13T08:20:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T08:20:35","slug":"heathrow-passenger-numbers-continue-to-rise-despite-aviation-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/13\/heathrow-passenger-numbers-continue-to-rise-despite-aviation-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Heathrow: Passenger numbers continue to rise despite aviation struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heathrow Airport’s passenger numbers continue to rise as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About 5.3 million people traveled via the west London hub in May – up 1.1 million on March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This represents an almost eightfold increase from last year when UK Covid-19 travel restrictions were in place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Terminal 4, which was closed due to the virus crisis, will reopen on the Tuesday before midsummer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Traditionally, the terminal has been home to many Middle Eastern operators and the Russian airline Aeroflot, whose services were suspended due to sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The first airline to resume operations from Terminal 4 will be Qatar Airways, followed by around 30 others including Saudi Arabia Airlines, Etihad Airways and Korean Air.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Heathrow is one of several UK airports to experience long queues in recent weeks as the aviation sector struggles to cope with rising travel demand amid staff shortages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A spike in coronavirus-related staff absenteeism in the spring, combined with difficulties finding and passing security checks for new hires, means the airline industry has struggled to cope with passenger numbers in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Heathrow passenger numbers at their lowest in 50 years<\/li>\n
  • How are travel rules relaxed? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye praised Heathrow’s staff after the anniversary half-way point.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    He added: \u201cWe continue to make good progress on our plans to increase capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “We are working closely with the airlines and government to balance supply and demand as we grow, so passengers can travel through Heathrow with confidence this summer.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The airport claimed the “recent criticism of service levels across the sector” underscored that its proposal to increase airline charges for using the airport by 2027 was “the right one for consumers”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is expected to set a new cap on the airport’s fees this summer – airlines are adamantly opposed to increasing fees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mr Holland-Kaye said: \u201cWe now need regulatory agreement from the CAA that protects levels of service and resilience, incentivizes investment and maintains affordable private funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “Failing to invest risks degrading the passenger experience at a time when smooth ramping up of operations has never been more important.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter <\/a>and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobclondon@bbc.co.uk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n