Passenger numbers at UK airports last year were 78 percent below pre-pandemic levels, new figures show.
Analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news agency found just 64.4 million passengers arrived or departed on flights at UK airports in 2021.
That is compared with 296.9 million in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic led to a huge reduction in demand for air travel. (PA Graphics) Trade body the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said the figures highlight how the UK’s aviation sector “suffered more than European rivals last year” due to tougher travel restrictions.
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, recorded its lowest annual number of passengers for nearly 50 years in 2021, at just 19.4 million.
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