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Global governments should agree a common standard on medical screening at airports, the boss of Heathrow has said.<\/p>\nGlobal governments should agree a common standard on medical screening at airports, the boss of Heathrow has said.<\/p>\n
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye claimed a single system for assessing passengers\u2019 health will help demand for air travel recover from the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
He added that this would be an important boost to Britain\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
Mr Holland-Kaye said: \u201cHeathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open, and helping people get home.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is the time to agree a common international standard for healthcare screening in airports so that when this crisis recedes, people can travel with confidence and we can get the British economy moving again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tourists have lambasted the \u201cshocking\u201d lack of testing upon arriving back in the UK during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Some passengers told the PA news agency other countries appeared to be taking Covid-19 much more seriously, with medical questionnaires and health checks at land borders and travel terminals.<\/p>\n
Heathrow announced that passenger numbers for March fell by 52% compared with the same month in 2019.<\/p>\n
Many of the 3.1 million journeys were repatriations, as people flew to and from the west London hub to reach their homes.<\/p>\n
Heathrow warned it expects passenger numbers for the whole of April to be down by more than 90% year-on-year, with \u201clasting and significant industry-wide effects predicted\u201d.<\/p>\n
The collapse in demand saw the airport move to single runway operations on April 6, and two terminals will be closed in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
These measures will \u201cprotect long-term jobs\u201d by reducing operating costs and help Heathrow \u201cremain financially resilient\u201d, the airport added.<\/p>\n