London’s Heathrow Airport does not expect air traffic to recover completely until at least 2026.
While passenger numbers have risen to 28%, almost at its pre-pandemic levels, the airport has lost £3.4bn since the start of the pandemic.
Heathrow has tried to soften the impact of the pandemic by raising its charges for airlines and asking the government to remove testing rules for vaccinated travellers.
Last week, the UK aviation regulator said Heathrow will not be permitted to raise passenger charges by as much as it had wanted, but airlines opposed the scale of the hike as the hub and carriers battle to recoup pandemic losses.
In a statement, Heathrow outlined their frustrations. “The Civil Aviation Authority’s AA’s (CAA) Initial Proposals do not go far enough to ensure that investors can achieve a fair return”.
