Bad publicity surrounding the opening of London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 is likely to have resulted in more passengers travelling to Paris and Amsterdam, according to the Air Transport Users Council (AUC).
Commenting on the Transport Committee’s official report on the Terminal’s chaotic opening, a spokesman for the AUC believes that this criticism will “probably” affect the UK’s tourism trade.
The report, published on November 3, concluded that the problems experienced during Terminal 5’s unveiling could have been avoided through better preparation and more effective joint working.
The AUC spokesman believes that the negative coverage the opening received across Europe and the US will have consequences.
He said: “I think only British Airways would know the real answer on whether it has affected their passenger numbers but I would think it likely that it would have done.”
Terminal 5 is the UK’s largest free standing building and has 60 aircraft stands; a 605-bed hotel and a 3,800 space multi-storey car park.
