Heathrow said that forcing airline transit passengers into a scheme where visitors to the UK are required to pay a £10 is “competitive” disadvantage for the hub airports of the country.
The electronic travel authorization (ETA) has become a requirement for those who enter Britain without a Visa. The cost is £10, and applicants are required to provide biographic, contact, biometric, and biometric details. They must also answer “suitability” questions.
It is applicable to all transit passengers, including those who just pass through the airport without stopping.
ETAs were implemented in November 2023 for citizens of Qatar, Bahrain Kuwait, Oman United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar.
In early 2025 they will extend to anyone from the European Union and Swiss nationals, as well as those in the European Economic Area, and all other countries this fall.
Heathrow stated in a press release that while it supported the “overall rationale”, applying ETAs to passengers in airside transit would put UK airports in a competitive disadvantage compared with EU hubs.
Then he added: “We’re already seeing an effect.” In the first four month of ETAs, 19,000 fewer passengers travelled to Qatar for transit. The transfer route has recorded its lowest monthly percentages in over 10 years since the implementation.
This is a major blow to UK competition as transit passengers are essential to many long-haul routes that are vital to the UK economy, exports, and connectivity.
Ministers must remove this restriction as more passengers are expected to use other hubs in the future.
The Home Office claims that ETAs “cement Britain as a leader in the world for border security”.
Heathrow’s chief executive Thomas Woldbye stated: “We are on a journey towards becoming an airport fit for the next century and it is great to see our progress this year as a record number passengers choose Heathrow for their smooth journeys.
To maintain momentum, the government must exempt airside-transit passengers from the ETA program to prevent passengers from spending and doing business elsewhere.
“We must level the playing fields so that the UK aviation industry can continue to be world class.”
Heathrow reported that 6.7 million passengers traveled through the airport during March.
This is an increase of 8% over the 6.2 million recorded in March last year. It is also the highest number ever for this month.
Asia-Pacific saw the highest percentage increase in terms of growth year-on-year, at 18%.