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Including transit airline passengers in a scheme making guests to the UK pay a £10 fee is placing the nation’s airports at a “competitive disadvantage”, Heathrow has claimed.
An digital journey authorisation (ETA) is a requirement for individuals getting into or transiting by the UK with out authorized residence or a visa.
The scheme was launched in November 2023 however is presently solely for nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
It is scheduled to be prolonged to embrace the European Union, the European Economic Area and Swiss nationals in early 2025, and the remainder of the world this autumn.
Heathrow mentioned in an announcement it helps the “overall rationale” behind the introduction of ETAs, however “applying them to airside transit passengers will put UK airports at a competitive disadvantage compared to EU hubs”.
It went on: “We are already seeing an impact.
“In the first four months of ETAs being in place, 19,000 fewer transit passengers travelled from Qatar, with the transfer route recording its lowest monthly proportions for over 10 years each month since the implementation of ETAs.
“This is a huge blow to UK competitiveness as many long-haul routes, which are highly important to the UK’s economy, exports and wider connectivity, rely on transit passengers.
“With more connecting passengers expected to choose other hubs as the scheme expands, minsters need to take action to remove this measure.”
The Home Office says ETAs “cement the UK as a world leader in border security” as candidates should present their biographic, biometric and call particulars, and reply “suitability questions”.
Heathrow chief govt Thomas Woldbye mentioned: “We’re 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 the UK aviation industry continues to be world-class.”
Heathrow mentioned 6.7 million passengers travelled by the airport in March.
That is up 8% from 6.2 million throughout March final 12 months, and is the best complete it has recorded for that month.
The Asia/Pacific market noticed the biggest year-on-year rise in proportion phrases, at 18%.
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