2022 is seeing a steady increase of flights as the year progresses. The Office for National Statistics released a new dataset about how many planes fly in and out of the UK on a daily basis.
Compared to 2019 and 2020, when aviation suffered as a result of Covid restrictions, the 2022 statistics are showing flights are back to normal.
65 million passengers were carried by all operators in/out of UK in 2020, down 75% on 2019. However, the UK saw 1,348,044 tonnes of freight on cargo dedicated aircraft in 2020, up 56.8% on 2019.
HGV cargo driver at Heathrow airport, Robert Zemanski, 47, explained: “During COVID 19 our industry grew a lot. When most passenger flights were stopped or minimized, flights carrying cargo were still running. I remember transporting tons of medical equipment and face masks during that time because different countries needed a constant supply of goods to survive through Covid. So, although Heathrow was very empty during that time, we were one of the few groups of workers who were least susceptible to losing our jobs or getting furloughed.”
Although in 2019 flights mainly carried cargo instead of passengers, aviation played a significant role bringing in much needed cargo and medical supplies to the UK from overseas. However, some people still managed to travel between the covid restrictions.
Cargo workers like Robert, were one of the few aviation workers who were not at a disadvantage during the pandemic, instead were granted a pay award offer for their hard work.