Heathrow Airport says it now expects to welcome 82.4 million passengers this year, up by one million on its previous forecast in February.
The London hub reported record passenger numbers in the first quarter of this year, with 18.5 million travellers passing through the airport – a 9.5 per cent increase on the 16.9 million for same period in 2023.
Heathrow said that the figures had in part been driven by growth on key business routes like Delhi and Mumbai, as well as strong North American traffic and East Asian demand growing 40 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2023.
The airport welcomed 79.2 million passengers last year, and was already on course to surpass its previous record annual figures in 2024 (80.9 million passengers set in pre-pandemic 2019).
Heathrow said that work was continuing to install new generation scanners across 146 security lanes at the airport, and a six-year project has also begun to build a new dedicated baggage system at its Terminal 2.
Meanwhile the airport says it will shortly commence a once-in-a-decade job to resurface both runways, stressing that the work will take place “without impacting the airport’s operating day”.
Commenting on the news Heathrow’s CFO Javier Echave said:
“It has been a successful start to the year thanks to colleagues delivering a consistent, reliable service to our passengers. As I close the chapter on eight years as CFO, I’m proud that Heathrow is on a strong financial footing with a clear flightpath ahead.
“On the horizon is Heathrow’s busiest summer yet with more passengers and destinations served than ever before. We’re ready to continue delivering.”
