Heathrow wants common international standard for airport health screening

Global governments should agree a common standard on medical screening at airports, the boss of Heathrow has said.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye claimed a single system for assessing passengers’ health will help demand for air travel recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that this would be an important boost to Britain’s economy.

Mr Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open, and helping people get home.

“Now is the time to agree a common international standard for healthcare screening in airports so that when this crisis recedes, people can travel with confidence and we can get the British economy moving again.”

He made the comments as Heathrow announced that passenger numbers for March fell by 52% compared with the same month in 2019.

Many of the 3.1 million journeys were repatriations, as people flew to and from the west London hub to reach their homes.