London Covid test capacity spikes half a million a month as Prenetics boosts capacity May 13, 2021 Rapid test developer and manufacturer Prenetics has bolstered its London lab network ahead of its partnership with Virgin Atlantic where it will supply passengers with Covid-19 testing. With demand for rapid testing expected to soar in demand now that foreign travel will be allowed from 17 May and online booking platforms reporting a surge in interest for Vitamin D-doused destinations, the [...]
Heathrow calls for green list expansion as passenger numbers sink by 92 per cent May 11, 2021 Heathrow Airport has called for an expansion to the travel green list in the next government review in three weeks’ time, including the United States, to boost trade and reunite friends and family. The number of passengers passing through Heathrow Airport was down by 92.1 per cent in April, compared to pre-pandemic figures. After the [...]
British holidaymakers face expensive Covid tests amid delay in vaccine passports May 6, 2021 British holidaymakers face hefty Covid tests at borders as a result of delays in the development of vaccine passports for overseas travel, Downing Street admitted yesterday. Number 10 said earlier this week that tweaks to the NHS app to display proof of vaccination were unlikely to be made in time for the lifting of the [...]
Heathrow plunges to another loss as airport tells Border Force to ‘get a grip’ April 29, 2021 Heathrow Airport reported yet another loss this morning as the UK’s largest air travel hub continued its long wait for aviation to restart. The firm said that it had suffered a £329m loss in a quarter in which it saw just 1.7m passengers, down 91 per cent from last year. In total, that means that [...]
Heathrow bid to raise £2.6bn through higher passenger charges blocked April 27, 2021 The UK’s aviation regulator has today ruled that Heathrow’s bid to raise passenger charges to repair the damage of the coronavirus pandemic was “not in the interest of consumers”. The airport had asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to increase its regulatory asset base to £2.6bn in order to recover its losses. But the watchdog [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers down four-fifths in March April 12, 2021 The number of passengers passing through Heathrow Airport fell more than four-fifths in March as the worst ever financial year for aviation came to a close. Passenger numbers fell 82.6 per cent, to 542,000, last month, as the UK continued to impose strict controls on international travel. For the first three months of 2021, passenger [...]
Heathrow boss urges UK to scrap quarantine for low-risk countries April 1, 2021 The chief executive of Heathrow Airport today said Britain should scrap quarantine requirements for passengers arriving from countries with low levels of Covid concerns. Currently, countries with the highest levels of Covid concerns must take tests before departure and upon arrival. They must quarantine in a government hotel for at least ten days, in what [...]
Unite plans 23 days of strikes at Heathrow over ‘fire and rehire’ plans March 17, 2021 Unite this afternoon said that it was planning 23 days of strikes at Heathrow Airport from the beginning of April in protest at the airport’s restructuring plans. There will be 41 strikes over the period, the union said, ending on 25 April. Unite said that the strike had been called because of the airport’s decision [...]
‘Unacceptable’ Heathrow queues risk UK’s economic recovery, airport says March 10, 2021 Heathrow’s chief operating officer has today said that the length of delays currently facing travellers at the UK’s biggest airport were “unacceptable”. Speaking to MPs at the Home Affairs Select Committee today, Emma Gilthorpe said that some people were having to queue for three to six hours to pass through border control. And she warned [...]
Unemployment claims in London airport communities rise at double the national rate March 1, 2021 The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose at double the national rate in communities around London’s biggest airports in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel industry, leading to airlines and airports slashing thousands of jobs to stay afloat. In Hayes and Harlington, Heathrow’s local constituency, the number of people claiming benefits rose [...]