Heathrow Airport has reported that the number of passengers using routes that are part of a government programme that costs £10 per person has decreased by 90,000. The electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system was referred to as “devastating for our hub’s competitiveness” in the report.
For those passing through the United Kingdom without a visa or other legal status, the Conservative government introduced a Temporary Arrival Permit (ETA) in November 2023.
Nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are needed to get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), which costs ten pounds.
It is planned that the programme will be expanded to the rest of the world this autumn; however, it will not be implemented until the beginning of the next year for visitors who are citizens of Switzerland, the European Union, or the European Economic Area from Switzerland.
“While Heathrow continues to attract new routes and record passenger numbers, the latest data following the introduction of the ETA shows that Heathrow has lost 90,000 transfer passengers on routes operating to and from the seven countries included in the scheme since its introduction in 2023,” the airport said. “The scheme was introduced in 2023.” This is tremendously detrimental to the competitiveness of our hub.
“We strongly want the administration to reconsider the inclusion of people who are taking airside transportation. Every single piece of competitiveness that the government is able to provide for the aviation industry will contribute to the delivery of crucial growth for the entire economy of the United Kingdom.
Heathrow Airport reported that it had approximately 8 million passengers use its services in the month of July, making it the busiest airport in Europe during the first half of the year. This accomplishment allowed Heathrow to surpass competitors such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
During the month of July, the hub in west London achieved a weekly passenger total of 1.8 million for the first time. This achievement was maintained for three weeks in a row, beginning on July 8. Larnaca, which is located in Cyprus, and Venice, which is located in Italy, were two of the most popular trips.
Heathrow Airport has stated that it “performed well with no material impacts on flights” as a result of issues such as the worldwide information technology failure or the protests of Just Stop Oil.
The airport announced last month that, despite a 2.9% decline in half-year revenues, it had swung to an underlying profit of £178 million, an improvement from a deficit of £139 million the previous year.