Exeter Airport had just nine passengers in May Business

Only nine passengers passed through Exeter Airport in May according to disastrous figures which show the depths of Britain’s travel crisis.

The number of travelers fell by nearly 100,000 a year earlier, airport bosses revealed to the East Devon Council as they sought a bailout.

There were still 99.5% fewer visitors in July than last year and the airport has to pay a bill of £ 620,000 for business fares.

The East Devon Council has adopted a support package that will pay £ 180,000 off the bill over the next three years – the maximum allowed under EU state aid rules.

The crisis has been reflected across Britain, including at huge hub airports such as Heathrow, forcing airlines and associated businesses to lay off tens of thousands in a battle for survival as the golden age of air travel has come to an end.

Overall, the number of passengers at UK airports could fall by 40% per year, according to Airlines UK forecasts for the 12 months to July 2021.

Exeter suffered the double whammy when regional airline Flybe collapsed in March, followed by the pandemic that left planes around the world stranded.

This is a dramatic drop after 1 million passengers used the site over a 12-month period for the first time in 2019.