Heathrow is facing pressure to lower landing fee increases

Heathrow is under pressure to abandon plans for higher airport landing charges received the most travelers since the beginning of the pandemic.

In March, Heathrow was used by almost 4.2 million passengers, the highest level in two years.

Meanwhile, experts said the Easter schedule at the airport this week will reach 86 percent of the 2019 level.

Heathrow increased landing fees it charges airlines by a third in January and wants to increase them by up to 90 percent over the next five years.

The airport predicts it will receive 45.5 million passengers in 2022, well over the 19.4 million people who passed through its terminals last year – but far from the 80.9 million in 2019.

Heathrow said landing fee increases were needed to cover costs based on fewer passengers.

Airlines are angry about their plans to be signed by the Civil Aviation Authority.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “Heathrow will be the busiest airport in Europe this year, with March passenger numbers showing an increasing rate of recovery. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic expects to return to 100 percent flying in 2019, during the summer peak this year.

“To protect consumers, inaccurate forecasts that underestimate the demand for returns should not be used to determine irreparable costs.”

Nigel Wicking, executive director of the Heathrow Airlines Operations Committee, said “the airport’s pessimistic forecast … will serve to raise service charges per passenger [Heathrow] may be charged in 2022 and later.

Mr Wicking added: “Based on industry intelligence and advance reservations, airlines predict that passenger traffic will boost sharply in 2022 and we expect another increase, ahead of Heathrow Airport’s original projections, for Easter and until the summer.”

Tim Alderslade, head of the Airlines UK trade body, added: “Heathrow is trying to recoup the pandemic losses from the backs of passengers by relying on overly pessimistic forecasts that fit their own agenda. They are pulling fast and we need the CAA to be smart. “

A Heathrow source said the volumes in the first three months of the year were “slightly behind” his projections.

The line is in the background widespread disruption at airports in the United Kingdom as the aviation sector is facing staff shortages.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said the airport “is doing everything in our power to provide passengers with the smoothest and safest possible route”.

Once the world’s second most popular airport for international passengers, Heathrow fell on the scale during the pandemic as travel restrictions in the UK deterred people flying from abroad.

New data released on Monday shows Heathrow slipped behind Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris in 2021. It lies in seventh place and took second place before the pandemic. Dubai retained first place in the scale compiled by the trade body Airports Council International.

Among the top 10 airports by domestic and international passengers, American bases predominated. Eight airports were in America, and Atlanta ranked first. Guangzhou in China, which ranked first in 2020, fell to eighth as Beijing Covid’s strict restrictions affected traffic. Chengdu was the only second non-US airport in the 10 busiest bases in the world.