Bosses of the country's biggest airport have warned that passenger numbers are still a massive 90 per cent down on pre-Covid levels despite the easing of travel restrictions
Almost all air cargo is carried in the hold of passenger planes, and UK travel restrictions are limiting trade compared to EU rivals.
Officials at Heathrow Airport have revealed traffic is lagging behind European rivals with Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt outstripping 2019 cargo volumes, growing by 14 per cent and nine per cent respectively compared to 2019.
However, cargo tonnage at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest port is still down 16 per cent.
The closure of transatlantic links is costing the UK economy at least £23 million a day with passenger traffic from Heathrow to the US also down by around 80 per cent.
The EU, which has reopened unilaterally with the US has seen traffic recover to around 40 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, placing pressure on Britain’s long-held competitive advantage on transatlantic trade if borders remain closed.
A Heathrow statement said: "The announcement that double-vaccinated UK residents will no longer be required to quarantine when returning from amber list countries from July 19 is a great step forward.
"However to kickstart Britain’s economic recovery, the Government must reopen travel to fully vaccinated people from more countries, particularly our key trading partners like the US.
"British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow are working together to demonstrate that 100 per cent vaccination status can be carried out at check in, and there is no reason why Government should not approve this for passengers from the US and EU from July 31."
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye added: "While it’s fantastic news that some double-vaccinated passengers will no longer need to quarantine from amber countries, ministers need to extend this policy to US and EU nationals if they want to kickstart the economy.
"These changes will be critical for exporters who are losing out to EU rivals and families who have been separated from loved ones. We have all the tools to safely restart international travel, and now is the time for Global Britain to take off.”
