Britains biggest airport will overhaul its operations this week, prioritising cargo flights carrying pharmaceutical and medical supplies. Around half of the nations supplies will be shipped to the airport.

Logistics companies have begun importing thousands of testing kits to meet the increased demand.

This allows Heathrow to increase cargo movement by 53 percent.

The number of supplies coming in will be unprecedented for the airport.

In 2019, over 12,000 tonnes of medical supplies travelled through Heathrow.

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John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s CEO, has said that the airport has a vital role to play in the fight against the virus.

He said: “This is an unprecedented time for the international community, with Covid-19 requiring us all to work together, adapt and adopt extraordinary measures to quell the spread of this virus.

“For the first time in a decade our airport has additional capacity in its schedule, capacity which we’ve begun to see used to help push vital supplies across the globe to help support frontline teams in the battle against this pandemic.

“We stand ready to support the country through this crisis. We intend to remain open at all times to serve those passenger flights that will continue to operate. And as the UK’s biggest port, we will temporarily increase the number of dedicated cargo flights.”

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The news follows concerns from the aviation industry about the support they are receiving from government in a time of financial crisis.

The Airport Operators Association (AOA) trade body has said to the Treasury it’s “extremely disappointed” with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s handling of their financial losses.

The body warned that more than 50 airports across the UK will shut down within weeks unless ministers step in to provide support to the struggling industry.

London City, the UK’s 12th-busiest airport, has announced it will be closing until the end of April at the earliest.

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Other airports are said to be weeks from collapse after the pandemic caused havoc.

Passenger numbers have plummeted, forcing Newquay Airport, Carlisle Lake District Airport and Teesside Internationalto cease all passenger operations.

Many were struggling before the pandemic following the collapse of Flybe.

An industry source told the Daily Mail: “Most airports are planning to go right down to the bone with a skeleton staff and only small parts of terminals open or closing to passengers and only operating things like freight, and see how long that is feasible.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced he was preparing a support package for the aviation industry.

It’s rumoured the Chancellor is finalising a multi-billion rescue deal for the industry, which could see the Government purchase stakes in the hardest-hit airlines.

This has been offered as a “last resort” option if and when individual companies have “exhausted other options” of staying stable.

The offer followed EasyJet paying it’s shareholders £174 million in dividends.

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