The number of air passengers flying in and out of the UK fell by more than three quarters in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic wrought havoc on the aviation industry, official data shows.

Passenger numbers fell by 75.3 per cent year on year to 68.5 million last year, while overall air transport movements – which includes cargo – fell by 63.4 per cent, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

However, the figures from the aviation watchdog showed that cargo increased by 56.8 per cent compared to 2019, to more than 1.3 million tonnes of freight on cargo dedicated aircraft.

Even before travel restrictions put a halt on non-essential UK travel in March 2020, February 2020 was a slow month for aviation due to poor weather conditions, said the CAA, with a drop in passenger numbers of 1.8 per cent year on year.

The CAA data is most stark at the beginning of the pandemic, as countries around the world shut their borders.

In April and May 2020, passenger numbers dropped almost 98 per cent, with just 700,000 travellers passing through UK airports.

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Despite a partial bounceback in air travel during the summer, when the travel corridor scheme was introduced, only 11.1 million passengers flew in and out of the UK from July until September, representing a slump of 82 per cent year on year.

There is some hope for the beleaguered UK travel industry. Domestic trips to self-contained accommodation can restart from 12 April at the earliest in England, while international travel has tentatively been given the green light from 17 May.

All international travel for non-essential purposes is currently banned.