UK. London Heathrow Airport has upgraded its forecasts for passenger traffic for 2022 to 65% of pre-pandemic levels, as eased UK travel rules deliver a surge in outbound leisure traffic
The UK airport should serve 52.8 million passengers in the year, up from the previously projected 45.5 million, but management remains cautious about the months ahead.
The airport company said in a statement: “Demand remains very volatile and we expect these passenger numbers to drop off significantly after the Summer. We are already seeing airlines cancelling services into the Autumn and the realities of higher fuel costs, lower GDP growth, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing pandemic will drag on demand. We are still in a pandemic with many markets still closed, nearly 80% with testing and vaccination requirements and another variant of concern could see the return of UK travel restrictions.”
