London airport sees blue skies ahead as flights added, passengers increase
It may still be some time before London International Airport becomes the busy hub it was before COVID-19 when more than 680,000 passengers flew out of the Seabrook Way facility in 2019.
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It may still be some time before London International Airport becomes the busy hub it was before COVID-19 when more than 680,000 passengers flew out of the Seabrook Way facility in 2019.
But Wednesday’s announcement that discount airline Swoop was bringing back flights from London to sunny destinations this winter is the latest sign the local airport, once battered by the pandemic, is turning a corner.
“We’re really gaining strength back,” said Scott McFadzean, the airport’s president and chief executive.
“We are building momentum, getting back some old routes we haven’t had since the winter of 2019, but also adding some new routes and some new airlines.”
As part of its winter schedule, Swoop is adding flights from London to Cancun, Mexico, and Sanford, Fla., 50 kilometres north of Orlando, and continuing flights from London to Edmonton until January, the company said Wednesday.
The discount airline will offer two flights a week from London to Sanford from Dec. 4 until April 2, 2023, and two flights a week from London to Cancun from Dec. 3 until April 29.
Swoop isn’t the only airline returning to London.
Sunwing and Air Transat also have announced plans to fly from London to destinations including Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic this winter, while Flair Airlines is launching a new service to Tucson, Ariz.
By the end of the year, the London airport will be offering travellers the same number of destinations it did before the start of the pandemic in March 2020, McFadzean said.
“It’s been a difficult few years for this airport and all airports and airlines globally,” he said. “So to see the return of passengers, to get more routes and more airlines added and start to build toward the future growth is exciting. Everyone’s very much looking forward to it.”
But reaching the pre-pandemic level of 683,000 passengers in 2019, the highest number for the airport, may still be two to three years away, McFadzean added, noting the airport was on track to reach 250,000 passengers this year though it only was allowed to have international flights as of March 1 due to COVID rules.
“We still have a lag with people working remotely or not travelling as much for business because that has typically been a large passenger base for this airport and for all airports globally,” McFadzean said.
“And there’s still the unknown of how the pandemic will act this winter . . . So we still think it’s probably a couple of years before we’re back to full 2019 recovery.”
Industry observers say domestic travel in Canada is only about 80 per cent of what it was before COVID-19. International travel is still down by about 40 per cent.
McFadzean said airport staff already are trying to build on the momentum they are experiencing, working with airlines to add new destinations and attract more travellers in 2023.
Those efforts include a new campaign highlighting London airport’s stress-free travel experience compared to larger airports, which during the last few months, have been plagued with issues such as delayed and cancelled flights and misplaced luggage.
“I think a lot of people have read the news or have experienced it first-hand, and they’re trying to avoid those bigger airports that are having long delays and a lot of stress,” McFadzean said.
“We’re still an easy, comfortable, stress-free airport experience, especially when you are flying direct to destinations, and we are trying to take advantage of that and promote that.”
London International Airport offerings
Air Canada: 4 daily flights to Toronto
WestJet: 3 daily flights to Toronto; one daily to Calgary
Swoop: 4 weekly flights to Edmonton
Beginning December through April
Air Canada: 4 daily flights to Toronto
WestJet: 3 daily flights to Toronto; 3 weekly flights to Calgary
Swoop: 2 weekly to Sanford, Fla; 2 weekly flights to Cancun, Mexico; 3 weekly flights to Edmonton (through to Jan. 8)
Flair: 1 weekly flight to Tucson, Ariz.
Sunwing: 1 weekly flight to Varadero, Cuba; 1 weekly flight to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; one weekly flight to Cancun, Mexico
Air Transat: 1 weekly flight to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; 1 weekly flight to Cancun, Mexico
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