Heathrow Airport warns passenger growth is levelling off

West London airport welcomed 6.4 million passengers through its doors in April

Passengers from international flights arrive at Heathrow Airport. Reuters

Heathrow Airport has warned that the return of passengers through its terminals may already be levelling off, rather than overtaking pre-pandemic numbers.

Demand for air travel surged after the UK’s travel rules were scrapped but it has flatlined compared with pre-virus levels in recent months.

Some 6.4 million passengers travelled through the airport in April.

Heathrow said: “There are early indications that passenger growth may be levelling off, with recovery now stable at 93 per cent - 95 per cent of 2019 levels across each of the first four months of this year.”

It said that during the Easter and coronation getaways, more than 90 per cent of passengers travelled through security

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye, who will step down later this year after nine years as the boss of Britain's biggest aviation hub, said: “It is only 12 months since all international travel restrictions in the UK were lifted, and we have made tremendous progress. I am proud that colleagues across Heathrow have shown Britain at its best for visitors arriving for the coronation.”

Security guards at the airport are holding a series of strikes after talks over pay broke down.

Unite union's 1,400 members working at Terminal 5 and in campus security walked out earlier this week and will strike once more on May 25-27. The airport says it has introduced contingency plans to minimise disruption to passengers.

In April, Heathrow announced it made a loss in the first quarter, blaming fees set by the regulator as it posted a 74 per cent annual increase in passenger traffic.

It recorded 16.9 million passengers in the first three months of the year, a substantial increase over last year’s pandemic-affected numbers.

Yet it posted a £139 million ($173 million) adjusted loss, saying fees had been set “too low”. It has launched an appeal against the passenger fees, which it had been ordered to lower for airlines using the UK airport.

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