A total of just 867,000 passengers passed through the airport last month, with 480,000 of these heading to Europe.

A spokesperson said: “The vast majority of Heathrow’s route network (60%) remains grounded, requiring a 14-day quarantine on arrival, preventing the UK from travelling to and trading with these countries. 

“Airport testing could safely open up these routes and kick-start the UK’s economic recovery.”

The most badly affected areas last month were North America, with passenger numbers down 96% and Latin America and Asia Pacific, both down 94%. Aircraft movements as a whole were down nearly 72%.

New routes at Heathrow include Dubrovnik, Genoa and Verona, while Eastern Airways has announced plans to operate from Heathrow for the first time, using the airport’s additional capacity to launch flights to Teesside International Airport from September.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “Tens of thousands of jobs are being lost because Britain remains cut off from critical markets such as the US, Canada and Singapore. 

“The government can save jobs by introducing testing to cut quarantine from higher risk countries, while keeping the public safe from a second wave of Covid.“