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As the US border reopened to UK nationals after more than 600 days, the only people at Heathrow with wider smiles than the passengers were the airline executives.
At Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways suspended decades of competition to mark the moment with simultaneous departures of their first New York flights, a sign of the importance of the moment to an entire industry.
The closure of the transatlantic corridor between Europe and the US since March 2020 has been the hardest of all blows to aviation, and its return signalled a turning point in the industry’s recovery.
“Today is a very special milestone,” said Sean Doyle, chief executive of British Airways, whose parent company is forecasting a €3bn loss this year.
“It is very important for business, but what you hear today is also very emotional stories of people reuniting with loved ones they haven’t seen for quite a long time. But it’s a very important milestone in the recovery of aviation.”
Shai Weiss, his counterpart at Virgin Atlantic which runs 60% of its routes to the US, was similarly relieved.
“Today we got to see some amazing stories, the grandparents flying to see grandchildren they’ve not met yet, people going for birthdays and family reunions, and businesses being able to reconnect,” he said. “This is the tipping point for Virgin Atlantic and aviation in the UK at large.”
There was no doubting the demand among passengers heading for family reunions and long-delayed Orlando holidays and honeymoons. BA and Virgin say all flights in the coming days are full and they expect sustained demand for leisure travel.
Less certain are the prospects for business travel and the sale of premium seats that the industry estimates account for 30% of revenue.
The pandemic has taught many sectors that they can work remotely, with technology providing an enforced alternative to…
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Source : skynews
