Coronavirus: Passengers may have deserted Heathrow but the cargo planes have not

Europe's busiest airport has seen a 90 per cent fall in passenger traffic

Normally Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow has been forced to reduce its service to only two terminals and one runway as air traffic plummets worldwide.

It says it has witnessed a 90 per cent fall in passenger numbers since the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier the month it reported a 15 per cent fall in revenue for the first quarter of the year.

British citizens have been warned against travelling abroad although repatriation flights to and from the UK continue on a frequent basis.

Remarkably, however, cargo flights have increased by 1000 per cent as vital equipment and medical supplies are flown into and via Heathrow to help combat the pandemic.

The airport has introduced a raft of precautionary measures to protect the public with health authorities.

Social distancing measures are in place with signs up to remind people to stay two metres away from others and to wash their hands. Extra doctors have been added too and hand sanitiser is available before and after security.

There are currently no temperature checks for arriving passengers, a move which has provoked criticism, although this policy could be changed in the coming weeks.

The head of the airport, John Holland-Kaye, warned that restarting the aviation sector has to be a crucial part of getting the UK economy again.

"If we are told that the only solution until we can get a vaccine in 12 to 18 months' time is to socially distance in an airport, then tens of thousands of jobs will be cut,” he told a parliamentary committee.

"We cannot afford to wait that long to get flying again," he added.