Heathrow Starts Putting Better Passenger Numbers on the Board

New figures from Heathrow have revealed overall passenger numbers remained nearly 50 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels in February.

A total of 2.8 million passengers traveled through the hub airport last month, 15 percent below initial forecasts. However, outbound leisure demand is recovering strongly, the airport said, as countries start to remove travel restrictions. 

Malaysia unveiled plans to loosen travel restrictions earlier this week, following the lead of Saudi Arabia, Jamaica, Maldives, Ireland, Saint Lucia, Qatar and others in recent days.

Demand from inbound leisure and business travel remains suppressed by the testing and quarantine requirements that are still in place in nearly two-thirds of the markets the airport serves, added a statement.

Heathrow said a multitude of other challenges remained, including headwinds from higher fuel prices, longer flight times to destinations impacted by airspace closures, concerns from US travelers over war in Europe and the likelihood of new Covid-19 variants.

An estimated from the airport, however, suggest demand over the summer could reach 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels.