London Heathrow Numbers Are Back To The 1970s, Losses Hit $2.8 Billion

London Heathrow Numbers Are Back To The 1970s, Losses Hit $2.8 Billion

Share to Linkedin New 10-day hotel quarantines for some arriving passengers could discourage travel plans. Picture ... [+] date: Wednesday February 24, 2021. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images) Multiple national lockdowns in the U. K. and worldwide quarantines have conspired to drive down London Heathrow Airport's passenger numbers to levels last witnessed in the 1970s“”and inevitably store sales have collapsed as well. Heathrow“”once the world's busiest international hub“”saw 2020 retail revenue slip by 68% to $331 million as its main duty-free retailer, Dufry, as well as luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci, suffered due to the pandemic. Passenger numbers dropped to just over 22 million from 81 million in 2019. But more than half of those 22 million traveled in January and February, before lockdowns started. Early on, the airport closed two terminals and relocated airlines into Terminals 2 and 5 to cut costs. That move shut several stores, but the open terminals have not benefited much from the transfer of passengers because, in line with current government restrictions non-essential shops remain closed. According to the Heathrow website passengers are limited to buying essential items at convenience retailers like Boots, part of Walgreens Boots Alliance,