Heathrow is no longer Europe’s busiest airport after it was overtaken by Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.
Passenger numbers were down 84% between July and September. In the first nine months of the year, 19 million passengers used Heathrow, compared to the 19.3 million who flew through Paris.
Heathrow has reported a loss of £1.5bn for the first nine months of this year whilst Q3 revenue fell by 72% year on year to £239m.
The airport has said that rivals have adopted airport testing and avoided quarantine on arrival.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “Britain is falling behind because we’ve been too slow to embrace passenger testing. European leaders acted quicker and now their economies are reaping the benefits.
“Paris has overtaken Heathrow as Europe’s largest airport for the first time ever, and Frankfurt and Amsterdam are quickly gaining ground.
“Let’s make Britain a winner again. Bringing in pre-departure COVID tests and partnering with our US allies to open a pilot air bridge to America will kick-start our economic recovery and put the UK back ahead of our European rivals.”
The London airport is now offering rapid Covid-19 testing for passengers flying from London to Hong Kong and Italy. Tests available at the airport will cost £80 and results will be made available within the hour and will be offered by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Cathay Pacific.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said he hopes to have post-arrivals testing in the UK by 1 December.