Heathrow is no longer Europe's busiest airport. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to crush demand for flying and Heathrow says it is falling behind airports with passenger testing.

Paris's Charles de Gaulle has overtaken Heathrow as Europe's busiest airport, with the London hub reporting falling passenger numbers and rising losses. Heathrow reported a loss of £1.5bn in the first nine months of 2020, a year when demand for air travel has been hit badly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Passenger numbers between July and September were down by more than 84% compared with the same period in 2019, as the airport started to fall behind rivals that are using COVID-19 testing regimes.

Both are followed closely by Amsterdam's Schiphol (17.6 million) and Frankfurt in Germany (16.16 million). Heathrow's third-quarter revenue fell by 72% year on year to £239m, while earnings before tax and interest dropped to £37m.

Trade association Airports Council International Europe said that nearly 200 European airports face insolvency in the coming months unless air travel begins to recover.

247london-airport-transfers.co.uk

#HeathrowAirport #ChalesdeGaulle #LondonAirportTransfers