Record number of cargo flights for Heathrow following coronavirus shutdown

Heathrow Airport has reported it had its busiest day on cargo-only flights amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown.

March saw the airport handle 80 per cent of its usual average cargo-only movements in a single day.

During normal operations Heathrow usually handles an average of 47 cargo-only movements a week, but handled 38 on March 31 alone.

Due to the government-mandated lockdown, passenger numbers at the airport shrunk by 52 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Heathrow is now using its available capacity to prioritise cargo flights with medical supplies as part of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye explained: “Heathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open, and helping people get home.

Commenting on the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, he added: “Now 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.”

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