UK tourist tax hands yet another competitive advantage to EU rivals
- Passenger numbers at Heathrow fell by 88% in November, as travel restrictions and a second lockdown took their toll. Based on current forecasts and continued decline in passengers, the decision has been taken for Terminal 4 to remain non-operational until the end of 2021.
- Heathrow is calling for targeted, sector specific Government support to protect jobs and help drive the UK’s economic recovery. These include full business rates relief for all UK airports and abandoning the disastrous “tourist tax” which will make the UK the only country in Europe not to offer tax-free shopping for international visitors. The move is expected to result in 2,000 retail job losses at Heathrow alone.
- Cargo volumes remain significantly below last year, reflecting the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s international trade.
- Heathrow has partnered with transatlantic carriers British Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic on a cross-industry study aimed at eradicating the need for quarantine for passengers, by demonstrating the effectiveness of pre-departure testing in reducing transmission while making free movement easier.
| Traffic Summary | ||||||
| November 2020 | ||||||
| Terminal Passengers (000s) | Nov 2020 | % Change | Jan to Nov 2020 | % Change | Dec 2019 to Nov 2020 | % Change |
| Market | ||||||
| UK | 57 | -86.1 | 1,377 | -69.0 | 1,774 | -63.1 |
| EU | 240 | -88.5 | 7,703 | -69.6 | 9,857 | -64.0 |
| Non-EU Europe | 68 | -84.0 | 1,702 | -67.4 | 2,174 | -61.8 |
| Africa | 63 | -77.8 | 1,040 | -67.5 | 1,351 | -61.7 |
| North America | 82 | -94.2 | 3,737 | -78.4 | 5,290 | -71.8 |
| Latin America | 20 | -82.2 | 389 | -69.3 | 506 | -63.4 |
| Middle East | 103 | -83.1 | 2,237 | -68.1 | 2,980 | -61.3 |
| Asia / Pacific | 114 | -87.1 | 2,780 | -73.6 | 3,731 | -67.6 |
| Blanks | - | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Total | 747 | -88.0 | 20,967 | -71.8 | 27,663 | -65.7 |
| Air Transport Movements | Nov 2020 | % Change | Jan to Nov 2020 | % Change | Dec 2019 to Nov 2020 | % Change |
| Market | ||||||
| UK | 690 | -80.5 | 14,168 | -62.0 | 17,571 | -56.3 |
| EU | 3,190 | -80.5 | 78,745 | -59.2 | 94,937 | -54.7 |
| Non-EU Europe | 760 | -78.2 | 16,137 | -59.7 | 19,689 | -54.9 |
| Africa | 596 | -52.6 | 6,700 | -51.7 | 8,054 | -47.2 |
| North America | 2,346 | -63.9 | 32,410 | -57.7 | 39,139 | -53.0 |
| Latin America | 246 | -48.0 | 2,642 | -52.0 | 3,138 | -48.0 |
| Middle East | 1,294 | -49.4 | 15,134 | -45.8 | 17,795 | -41.7 |
| Asia / Pacific | 2,218 | -41.5 | 22,446 | -48.3 | 26,369 | -44.5 |
| Blanks | 24 | - | 149 | - | 149 | - |
| Total | 11,364 | -70.1 | 188,531 | -57.0 | 226,841 | -52.4 |
| Cargo (Metric Tonnes) | Nov 2020 | % Change | Jan to Nov 2020 | % Change | Dec 2019 to Nov 2020 | % Change |
| Market | ||||||
| UK | 13 | -78.9 | 491 | -34.7 | 592 | -29.0 |
| EU | 8,678 | -0.6 | 74,021 | -24.6 | 82,397 | -23.1 |
| Non-EU Europe | 6,663 | 18.4 | 44,798 | -22.7 | 49,694 | -21.1 |
| Africa | 7,675 | -4.8 | 62,038 | -29.0 | 69,387 | -27.3 |
| North America | 37,142 | -26.9 | 378,854 | -30.8 | 428,871 | -28.7 |
| Latin America | 3,674 | -18.8 | 30,704 | -39.3 | 34,956 | -36.8 |
| Middle East | 20,602 | -12.6 | 201,048 | -17.7 | 222,998 | -16.2 |
| Asia / Pacific | 35,190 | -14.2 | 301,831 | -33.6 | 340,807 | -31.6 |
| Blanks | - | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | - | 0.0 |
| Total | 119,635 | -16.0 | 1,093,783 | -29.0 | 1,229,701 | -27.1 |
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