Heathrow Warns On Competitiveness If ETA Scheme Is Applied To Transit Passengers

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has warned that the UK government’s electronic travel authorization (ETA) scheme will make the country “less competitive and harm economic growth” if applied to transit passengers.

The government has confirmed that all visa-exempt visitors to the UK will now need to apply for digital travel authorization, with the scheme being phased in over the coming months. An ETA costs £10 ($13) and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder’s passport expires—whichever is sooner. 

The program has already been piloted for travelers to the UK from seven Middle East countries: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Starting Jan. 8, 2025, visitors from more than 40 countries and territories—including Australia, Japan, South Korea and the U.S.—will be added. The list will expand to include European Union nationals on April 2, with Irish citizens exempt. Travelers who currently need a visa to enter the UK will still be required to obtain one.

A spokesperson for LHR says that while the UK hub does not “disagree with the long-term rollout of the scheme,” it argues that the inclusion of airside transit passengers will reduce the UK's competitiveness and negatively impact economic growth.

“We want to work in partnership with Home Office ministers over the next few months to address this issue and learn from the lessons of the countries trialed, where we’ve seen the loss of a significant number of transfer passengers already,” the spokesperson adds.

In August, LHR reported a decline of 90,000 passengers on routes included in the trial with the seven Middle Eastern countries since the scheme was introduced in November 2023 by the previous Conservative government, describing the program as “devastating for our hub competitiveness.”

The airport’s warning on competitiveness comes after it was this week named the world's most connected airport by data analyst OAG in its annual Megahubs report, retaining the top spot for the second consecutive year. The report factors in the number of destinations served and the number of scheduled international flight connections.

LHR ranked ahead of Kuala Lumpur in second place, with Tokyo Haneda Airport in third. Amsterdam and Seoul Incheon completed the top five, while New York John F. Kennedy was the highest-placed North American airport, in sixth position overall.

LHR handled almost 8 million passengers in August 2024 in its fourth consecutive recordbreaking month this summer, meaning the airport served 82.6 million passengers in the last 12 months. It is now on track to welcome 30 million passengers between June and September—a first for the UK hub.