Paul Sandle

LONDON (Reuters] -London Heathrow Airport, Britain’s busiest airport, had its lowest passenger count since 1972. It also suffered further losses due to the coronavirus pandemic that slowed demand for holidays and business travel.

In 2021, the number of passengers fell to 19.4million. Heathrow recorded a loss pretax of 1.79 Billion Pounds ($2.43Billion) in 2021. This brings total losses during the pandemic down to 3.8 Billion Pounds due to the decline in passenger numbers and the high fixed cost.

John Holland Kaye, Heathrow’s Chief Executive said that Heathrow expects to exceed its passenger target to more than double to 45.5million this year. But demand for the service would still be high due to British school holidays.

He said that although passenger numbers are currently 23% below forecast, there was some improvement. The airport saw its busiest days for two years last week as many families took to the slopes during school breaks.

He said that summer is a particularly busy season, in an interview. People want some sunshine after two years of stayingcations.

Heathrow said that it was working with other airlines to expand its operations and reopen Terminal 4 during the summer peak.

Holland-Kaye stated that while British restrictions have boosted outbound tourism, inbound travel and business travel remain restricted due to testing in other countries.

He stated that he didn’t expect travel to resume pre-pandemic levels until all restrictions were removed, and passengers believed they wouldn’t be reimposed.

Heathrow will be waiting for final recommendations from the aviation regulator regarding the charges it may charge passengers in the 2022-2027 timeframe. The airport was previously criticised by the regulator, who suggested that the fees could increase nearly half of what the airport had planned to charge. Airlines voiced opposition as well.

Holland-Kaye stated that if regulators did not correct “major errors” in their initial proposals, it could lead to a return of the “Heathrow trouble” from 15 years ago.

He stated that if we do it correctly, people can still enjoy the smooth journeys they are used to. The cost for that seamless travel is less than 2 percent of the ticket price.

($1 = 0.7359 pounds)