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Heathrow fell for the first time in its history among the 30 busiest airports in the world, according to today’s figures.
Last year, only 91,400 passenger flights landed at the west London hub, down 61% from 2019, according to data from aviation analysts Cirium.
This caused it to drop in the world ranking of airports, ranked by passenger aircraft arrivals, from ninth to 31st place.
It places Heathrow, which for decades has been one of the 10 busiest hubs in the world and one of the most famous names in world aviation, beneath “second tier” US regional airports such as Salt Lake City and Orlando.
The data is the latest evidence of how Britain’s largest airport has been humiliated by the collapse in international travel during the pandemic.
The list is now dominated by US and Chinese airports which rely heavily on domestic travel rather than international.
The world’s busiest airport last year was Atlanta, with 259,700 arriving passenger flights, down just 40%, followed by Dallas, with 235,100 arrivals, down 30%.
Seven of the top 10 were from US airports and three from China, led by Guangzhou in sixth place.
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However, Heathrow retained its place as the second busiest European airport, behind Amsterdam Schiphol which had 100,900 arrivals.
The data comes days before the expected announcement of new rules for passengers arriving in the UK which could include proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure.
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye has repeatedly warned of damage to the airport and Britain’s aviation industry by government restrictions on international travel since the summer, but ministers insisted they were necessary to reduce the risk of infection from passengers. arriving from abroad.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Britain’s aviation sector has effectively been blocked three times in the past year, damaging the national economy and putting jobs at risk.
“The Prime Minister’s vision for a global Britain is at stake and he must take urgent action to deliver on his promises now that we have left the EU. The UK must take the lead in establishing a common international standard for departure testing and put in place measures that will allow borders to be safely reopened once this lockdown is over. “
Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen said: “The crisis has resulted in a significant reduction in global flight volumes, with airlines making 49% fewer flights in 2020 than in 2019.
“However, China is the least affected – only 24% from 2019 – and Chinese airlines and airports have advanced or entered the world’s 10 largest airlines and airport groups.
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