Heathrow Airport is urging the Westminster government to exempt airside transit passengers from the ETA scheme to maintain competitiveness in the aviation industry, following a decrease in transit passengers from Qatar with whom BA has a codeshare.
The airport has seen 19,000 fewer passengers from Qatar in the first four months of the scheme.
Heathrow’s CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “we are on a journey to be an extraordinary airport fit for the future and it’s great to see the progress we’re making this year with smooth journeys for a record number of passengers choosing Heathrow. But to keep up the momentum the government needs to exempt airside transit passengers from the ETA scheme to avoid encouraging passengers to spend and do business elsewhere. We need to level the playing field, so England’s aviation industry continues to be world-class.”
