Exeter airport had just nine passengers in May

Just nine travellers handed by means of Exeter airport in May possibly according to calamitous figures which demonstrate the depths of the travel disaster gripping Britain.

Traveller numbers plunged from pretty much one hundred,000 a 12 months before, airport bosses uncovered in evidence to East Devon Council as they sought a bailout.

There were still 99.5pc much less people in July than last 12 months and the airport faces a £620,000 monthly bill for organization fees.

East Devon Council has handed a assistance deal which will allow £180,000 of the bill to be compensated about the up coming three several years – the most allowed underneath EU point out help regulations.

The slump has been mirrored across Britain which include at large hub airports these as Heathrow, forcing airways and similar firms to lay off tens of 1000’s of employees in a battle to survive as a golden age for air travel arrived to crashing halt.

Total, passenger numbers at UK airports could plunge by 40pc 12 months on 12 months, according to Airways UK’s forecasts for the 12 months to July 2021.

Exeter suffered the double whammy when regional airline Flybe collapsed in March followed by the pandemic that grounded  planes all over the world.

It is a remarkable fall from grace right after 1m travellers made use of the site in a 12-thirty day period period of time for 1st time in 2019.