Southampton Airport flight traffic plummets by 94 per cent since lockdown
SOUTHAMPTON Airport has seen a dramatic 94 per cent reduction in weekly flight traffic since the country officially went into lockdown to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Data provided by flightradar24.com showed during the pre lockdown week ending March 22, 64 flights landed or took off from the region’s premier airport compared to just four at the end of last week (April 19). This was despite an already significant decrease in flight traffic due to the collapse of the airport’s main airline, Flybe.
The figures mirror the situation nationally with just 711 departures from the UK's 10 biggest airports last week compared to 7,865 in the week leading up to lockdown. This constitutes roughly nine ten flights having been grounded.
Cardiff has experienced a total closure of flights falling from 44 planes to zero. The country’s two major airports of Gatwick and Heathrow have experienced 99 per cent and 81 per cent respective flight reductions. Gatwick has seen traffic fall from 1335 flights to just 13.
Airport authorities have said most remaining planes are carrying cargo with a small number of repatriation flights authorised by the Foreign Office. Cargo flights have been helping to deliver respirators and personal protective equipment (PPE).
