Air passengers down 75% due to pandemic

UK AIRPORT passenger numbers fell 223 million last year thanks to Covid.

Just 74 million travelled, according to Civil Aviation Authority data – a quarter of the 297 million recorded during the previous 12 months.

The Airport Operators Association (AOA) said the statistics demonstrate the “devastating impact” of the virus on aviation.

Cardiff Airport suffered the largest decline at 86.7 per cent with Glasgow Prestwick and Exeter close behind.

Other airports with decreases of more than 80 per cent included Southampton, London City and Leeds Bradford.

Heathrow recorded a 72.7 per cent reduction, from 80.9 million passengers in 2019 to 22.1 million last year.

The figures exclude travellers passing through the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

AOA chief executive Karen Dee said: “These figures lay bare the devastating impact Covid-19 has had. With passengers down nearly 90 per cent between April and December 2020, airports’ economic output was decimated and significant numbers of jobs were lost.”

She said an “overly cautious” approach to reopening travel means this summer will be “as bad, if not worse, than 2020”.