Luton Airport's plea as passenger numbers plummet by more than 80 per cent

You can watch a report from ITV News Anglia's Matthew Hudson here.

London Luton Airport has revealed the extent of the effect of coronavirus as passenger numbers last month fell by 82 per cent.

The airport is expecting this month to be even worse because of the ban on inessential international travel during lockdown.

It says figures could be as low as 95 per cent of its usual business during November.

The airport's boss says the sector is desperate for direct financial support and also to see a testing system in place by the end of lockdown.

This would help get people moving again by minimising the need for quarantine for those arriving in the UK and give consistency for those leaving the country.

297,000 passengers travelled through London Luton Airport this October, down 82% compared to the same period last year.

The airport says enhanced safety measures are in place for anyone who does have to travel.

These include enhanced cleaning and sanitisation, hand sanitiser units across the airport and the use of protective screens at customer touch points. LLA was the first UK airport to be awarded the Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) for meeting global industry standards and best practice.