Heathrow is charging passengers an extra £8.90 a flight to keep its check-in desks, baggage system and lights going after losing £1.5billion in nine months due to Covid.
These costs are normally covered by annual fees agreed with airlines, but passenger numbers have plummeted over the last year, culminating in the airport losing its status as Europe’s busiest last Autumn.
In July and September, flights were down by more than 84 per cent compared with the same period in 2019.
Airport bosses insist the charge would be removed once passenger numbers are back on the rise, but said it was needed this year to ‘achieve full cost recovery’, according to the Times.
Currently Britons are not allowed to leave the country unless they have a legally permitted reason.
Holiday giant Jet2 yesterday announced it had cancelled all trips and flights until April 14 due to travel restrictions and growing uncertainty over when lockdown will end.
The company said it was handing out full refunds for holidaymakers who have had their travel plans scrapped.
It came after Matt Hancock unveiled a brutal crackdown on those breaking travel restrictions, insisting those who lie about whether they have been to mutant coronavirus hotspots face up to 10 years in prison.
Heathrow Airport, pictured yesterday, is charging passengers an extra £8.90 a flight to keep its check-in desks, baggage system and lights going
The Health Secretary said he made ‘no apologies’ for incredibly harsh measures, warning that protecting the UK from variant strains that can potentially evade vaccines is ‘mission critical’ – and hinting they might need to be in place until the Autumn.
He revealed the government is creating a new criminal offence of hiding from the authorities that you have visited one of the countries on the UK’s ‘red list’.
The draconian step came as he confirmed that from Monday all arrivals will have to take three gold-standard PCR coronavirus tests before being allowed to freely move around the UK.
One has to be completed abroad before departure and two during their 10-day isolation period in the UK. Those who fail to get the checks could be hit with thousands of pounds in fines.
Mr Hancock also declared that 4,600 rooms have now been secured by the government from 16 hotels so the ‘quarantine hotel’ system can get up and running as planned on Monday, although the Department of Health refused to name them.
All incomers from ‘red list’ countries must stay in the rooms for 10 days, costing £1,750 each – with a supplement for people sharing rooms – including food and drink and their testing bill.
Arrivals from dozens of high-risk countries on the ‘red list’ will have to test negative 72 hours before travelling, and then be screened again twice, on day two and day eight.
Failure to stick to the hotel quarantine will be punishable with a fine of up to £10,000, Mr Hancock said.
Meanwhile, all other travellers will also have to show a negative result before coming to the UK, and then face two more tests while isolating at home or in other private accommodation. The government has not said how much that will cost although typically it is around £120 per test.
The existing ‘test and release’ scheme will stay in place so people can escape restrictions five days after arrival – but they will still have to be tested on day two and day eight regardless.
Mr Hancock said failure to get the screening – which must be booked in advance through a government portal – will be punishable with a £1,000 fine on the first occasion, and £2,000 on the second.
And he said people who lie about whether they have been to ‘red list’ countries could be hit with a jail sentence of up to 10 years under a new law.
The maximum punishment puts the offence in a category with some of the most serious, alongside things such as carrying a firearm with intent. Sentences for rape can be shorter than 10 years, although the maximum for that level of crime is life.
The tests required are the PCR variety rather than the quicker and cheaper lateral flow.
The announcement was met with concern from business chiefs, who called for extra help for the aviation sector.
The Confederation of British Industry’s chief UK policy director Matthew Fell said: ‘Business understands the priority is to protect the health of the population, and supports measures to reduce infections and hasten the return to a normal way of life.
‘Yet these new quarantine rules and testing requirements are a further reminder of just how challenging the situation is for the international travel sector right now.
Currently Britons are not allowed to leave the country unless they have a legally permitted reason. Pictured: a passenger arriving at Heathrow yesterday
Check-in desks at Heathrow Airport were once again deserted yesterday due to the ongoing travel restrictions
‘Further, immediate support is now essential to protect companies and jobs in the aviation sector and its supply chains in the difficult months ahead. The Government should also be clear on a road map to relaxing restrictions when health data permits.
‘The UK’s world-class aviation sector – which underpins so much of our economic activity – must be supported so that it can play its full part in the country’s recovery.’
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultants The PC Agency, said: ‘Mass traveller testing alone is to be welcomed as it enables Government to stay one step ahead of possible new variants, but adding several layers of complexity to travel will stall any economic recovery.
‘The Government needs to signal that it is looking to loosen border restrictions again from April, when there will be much less pressure on the NHS and infection/mortality rates will be lower.
‘What is the exit route out of this? Travel cannot work on the short-term whim of Government.’
He added: ‘When infection and mortality rates are much lower and the NHS is not under pressure due to vaccines taking effect, then there is no reason for such measures to be in place.
‘So, I would still expect travel to short-haul Europe to be likely from 1st May onwards and that’s when consumers should be booking for.
‘Some countries will still no doubt insist on negative test proof but travel should very much open up further. This will enable people to visit family again and travel on business, as well as for holidays.’
Mr Charles said the government needed to signal that restrictions will be diluted from the start of April, or the travel sector could go over a ‘cliff-edge’ with ‘hundreds of thousands of job losses and business failures’.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye insisted in October when the figures were revealed that ‘Britain is falling behind’ because ‘we’ve been too slow to embrace passenger testing’ for Covid-19.
By comparison, coronavirus testing regimes had been implemented at all three ‘continental rivals’ – Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt – the airport said in a statement.
allergy pills over the counter do you need a prescription behind the counter allergy medicine
nausea after taking pain medication buy bactrim 480mg
accutane 20mg drug order isotretinoin 20mg for sale accutane 40mg brand
online sleep medication perscriptions melatonin pills
amoxil 250mg cost buy cheap generic amoxicillin buy generic amoxil
order azithromycin 250mg for sale buy zithromax 250mg pill buy zithromax no prescription
gabapentin 800mg for sale buy neurontin
azithromycin 250mg over the counter azithromycin without prescription generic azipro 500mg
buy furosemide without a prescription generic furosemide
buy prednisolone 10mg for sale order prednisolone 40mg online omnacortil 5mg price
amoxicillin 1000mg cheap generic amoxicillin 500mg order amoxicillin 1000mg online
purchase monodox online cheap order doxycycline pills
allergy pills over the counter buy albuterol generic ventolin inhalator us
augmentin order generic augmentin 625mg
buy cheap generic synthroid levothyroxine generic order levothroid pill
where can i buy clomid clomiphene 50mg sale clomid pills
buy tizanidine cheap order tizanidine generic tizanidine online
buy rybelsus 14 mg generic buy semaglutide 14mg generic order rybelsus 14mg pill
buy deltasone 20mg prednisone 5mg ca deltasone 10mg for sale
semaglutide uk brand rybelsus 14mg order rybelsus pills
isotretinoin without prescription isotretinoin brand isotretinoin 20mg cost
albuterol inhalator canada albuterol online buy order albuterol 2mg without prescription
cheap amoxil buy amoxicillin 250mg generic buy generic amoxil 250mg
cost augmentin 625mg buy augmentin 375mg generic augmentin 625mg usa
buy zithromax pill buy zithromax 500mg for sale order zithromax without prescription
brand levothroid order levoxyl generic levothroid pill
buy prednisolone 20mg generic buy prednisolone tablets buy cheap omnacortil
purchase serophene generic buy clomid pills buy serophene sale
buy gabapentin 600mg generic cheap neurontin 100mg generic gabapentin
buy sildenafil 100mg online cheap sildenafil 100mg drug order viagra 50mg
cost furosemide lasix 40mg brand buy furosemide 100mg
purchase vibra-tabs pill doxycycline online order doxycycline 200mg generic
blackjack vegas free online games best no deposit free spins online casino usa
levitra canada order vardenafil online cheap purchase levitra sale
how to buy pregabalin order pregabalin 150mg without prescription buy pregabalin without prescription
brand hydroxychloroquine 400mg plaquenil 400mg pill order hydroxychloroquine 400mg pills
triamcinolone 10mg generic aristocort 4mg us brand triamcinolone 10mg
otc cialis cialis 40mg us tadalafil 5mg without prescription
order generic desloratadine buy desloratadine medication order clarinex 5mg online
cost cenforce buy generic cenforce 50mg buy cenforce 50mg generic
order loratadine online cheap loratadine cost claritin 10mg cheap
buy chloroquine generic chloroquine 250mg over the counter buy chloroquine 250mg
how to get orlistat without a prescription xenical 120mg brand purchase diltiazem online cheap
purchase lipitor buy atorvastatin 80mg for sale lipitor over the counter
amlodipine 5mg brand oral amlodipine 5mg buy amlodipine 5mg without prescription
oral zovirax 800mg order allopurinol 300mg sale how to buy zyloprim
purchase lisinopril pill order zestril 5mg without prescription lisinopril 2.5mg over the counter
buy crestor tablets buy generic ezetimibe for sale purchase zetia without prescription
purchase prilosec generic buy omeprazole 10mg pill prilosec 10mg price
motilium 10mg canada buy generic domperidone cost sumycin 500mg
order metoprolol 50mg online cheap lopressor 100mg canada buy metoprolol generic
flexeril canada buy lioresal generic baclofen 10mg price
purchase atenolol generic buy atenolol 100mg generic buy tenormin 100mg generic
buy medrol uk buy medrol 16mg buy methylprednisolone us
write my assignment for me help with writing a paper order an essay online
methotrexate medication buy coumadin sale buy warfarin generic
cheap meloxicam meloxicam cheap celecoxib ca
order metoclopramide 20mg pills losartan 50mg usa losartan where to buy
buy nexium 20mg without prescription topamax oral buy topamax pill
purchase zofran cheap zofran spironolactone 25mg cheap
sumatriptan 25mg without prescription cheap levaquin 500mg levaquin 500mg price
simvastatin price generic simvastatin valacyclovir tablet
how to get dutasteride without a prescription buy avodart sale ranitidine over the counter
propecia 5mg drug proscar for sale online buy generic diflucan 200mg
purchase ampicillin online order penicillin online purchase amoxicillin without prescription
cost ciprofloxacin 500mg – generic keflex 500mg buy generic augmentin
ciprofloxacin uk – buy generic augmentin 1000mg buy generic augmentin
order flagyl 400mg online – azithromycin order azithromycin order
cheap ciprofloxacin – order doxycycline online erythromycin 500mg pill
order valtrex pill – mebendazole canada order acyclovir 800mg without prescription
buy stromectol pills – sumycin canada buy generic sumycin for sale
metronidazole usa – flagyl usa order generic zithromax 250mg
cost ampicillin amoxicillin uk cheap amoxicillin pill
furosemide 40mg cost – candesartan 16mg for sale buy generic capoten over the counter
metformin 500mg ca – order duricef 250mg for sale lincocin 500mg without prescription
order retrovir 300 mg sale – buy rulide 150 mg online cost zyloprim 300mg
buy clozapine 100mg sale – purchase frumil online cheap buy pepcid 20mg pill