Heathrow posts loss on 1970s passenger numbers

It's a flashback to years past...

Britain's Heathrow Airport saw passenger numbers fall 73% last year, to levels not seen since the 1970s.

It said Wednesday (February) it plunged to a $2.8 billion loss annual loss due to the global health crisis.

22 million people travelled through the airport - half of those in the first two months of the year, before most global lockdowns.

Heathrow also lost its title as the busiest airport in Europe to Paris as its flight schedules contracted more than its rival's.

Now the London hub is desperate to get passengers back in the skies, and has called on the UK government to help out.

The airport wants rapid digital health checks to replace the current paper-based system.

And it's called for business tax breaks for big airports.

Now there is some cause for optimism at Heathrow, which is just outside the capital.

It hopes travel markets will reopen from mid-May after the British government announced lockdown restrictions would be eased during the coming months.