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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Joanna Partridge and Gwyn Topham

Passengers using Heathrow airport fall to lowest level since 1972

A passenger arrives from a flight at Terminal 5 of Heathrow airport.
Despite the huge drop in passenger numbers last year, the Heathrow boss said expansion plans remained on the table. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

The number of passengers travelling through Heathrow airport fell to 19.4 million in 2021, its lowest level for nearly 50 years, the airport has said as it reported a pre-tax loss of £1.8bn.

Heathrow said it would need to charge airlines more for urgent investment with fewer passengers, despite predicting numbers would double this year with summer getaways.

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