Heathrow boss: 50/50 chance of London to New York air corridor by Thanksgiving

John Holland-Kaye gave his most upbeat assessment of the prospects of trial flights operating soon between the two global cities
The number of passengers crossing the Atlantic between Heathrow and North America has collapsed by more than 90 per cent since the start of the pandemic
AP

The boss of Heathrow today said it was now “50-50” that an air corridor between London and New York could be open by Thanksgiving next month.

John Holland-Kaye gave his most upbeat assessment of the prospects of trial flights operating soon between the two cities. He told the Evening Standard preparations were advancing rapidly for a pilot scheme that would pave the way for business travellers and tourists to fly on the world’s busiest intercontinental aviation route once again .

Passengers would need to be tested within 72 hours before travelling and then for a second time at an airport testing centre before being allowed to board.

Britons were banned from flying to the US except in a small number of exceptional circumstances by a presidential decree from Donald Trump on March 14 to control the spread of Covid-19. This has had devastating consequences for the financial services sector and many other London-based industries, as well as the capital’s tourism industry.

Mr Holland-Kaye said: “Thanksgiving is a big occasion for people to get home for so that’s a good target to aim for. I know that there is a big appetite on both the US and UK side and I think there is a preference in America for the UK to be the first country to do this with.

John Holland-Kaye
AFP/Getty Images

"It would be great for the UK to be first out of the block and whatever is agreed could quickly become the international standard.

“We are talking to all the transatlantic airlines to make sure they are all aligned. There is certainly work to do to get it up and running in time for Thanksgiving but it is doable. I would say the chances are 50-50 but those are better odds than most things happening in the world right now.

“If it doesn’t happen with the UK it will happen with another country soon, perhaps France, Germany or the Netherlands. But it would be a real coup for the UK to be the first partner to get transatlantic flights up and running again, it would be great for global Britain.”

The tests would be carried out at sites established at the airport by travel medical services company Collinson and airport service provider Swissport.

Arrivals at Heathrow
PA

The facility at Terminal Five opened this week initially only for flights to Hong Kong. A second one at Terminal Two would be brought into use if the New York air corridor is established.

They have the capacity to test about 200 to 300 passengers an hour. The so-called LAMP test costs £80 with the results available in about an hour.

The number of passengers crossing the Atlantic between Heathrow and North America has collapsed by more than 90 per cent since the start of the pandemic. In August only 88,000 passengers made the journey compared with 1.83 million in the same month last year.

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