Heathrow has slammed a £10 charge on connecting passengers from certain countries, claiming the government-introduced fee has cost it 90,000 passengers.
The electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system has hit competitiveness since being introduced last year, the UK’s largest airport argued on Monday.
This sees connecting passengers without UK residence or a visa charged £10 to pass through British airports and was introduced by the former government in November.
“While Heathrow continues to attract new routes and record passenger numbers, the latest data following the introduction of the ETA shows that Heathrow has lost 90,000 transfer passengers on routes operating to and from the seven countries included in the scheme, since its introduction in 2023,” Heathrow said in a statement.
“This is devastating for our hub competitiveness.
“We urge government to review the inclusion of airside transit passengers.”
Passengers who are nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are all required to pay the charge.
The scheme is set to be extended to those from other countries this autumn, before applying to European nationals from early next year.