Heathrow ends record breaking
year with busiest December ever
§ Christmas
and New Year raised the number of passengers travelling through
Heathrow last month to over 7 million, making it the busiest ever
December and bringing the total to 83.9 million passengers in 2024
- a record for the UK's hub airport and 3m more than the previous
2019 record
§ On what is
normally one of the quietest days for travel, Christmas Day also
saw a record 160k passengers, a 13% increase on the previous record
from 2023
§ During the
season of gift-giving almost 138,000 tonnes of cargo flew through
Heathrow, culminating in a total of over 1.5 million tonnes in
2024. This represents more than a 10% growth compared with 2023,
with traders and forwarders taking advantage of the airport's
growing long-haul network to fly their high value and time critical
goods around the world
§ In line
with record-breaking traffic growth in 2024, Heathrow has continued
to provide strong service, with 92% of passengers through security
in less than 5 minutes. It has also continued to deliver
significant operational benefits, investing millions to upgrade
security lanes and resurface the southern runway, with no impact to
operations despite it being the busiest ever summer
§ New York,
LA, Dublin and Madrid were among the top destinations in 2024 for
Heathrow passengers, as the airport maintained the status of most
connected airport in the world
§ With grey
Mondays encouraging holiday bookings, 2025 is off to a strong start
and Heathrow forecasts 84.2 million passengers over the full year.
To continue to deliver for passengers who depend on the world class
hub and create business opportunities up and down the country, the
airport will be investing over £1 billion again this year to make
the airport fit for the future
Heathrow's CEO Thomas Woldbye said:
"2024 was an exciting and a
record-breaking year at Heathrow - I'm proud of all my colleagues
and our partners who worked so hard to deliver great experiences
for more passengers than ever before. In 2025, our journey towards
better value for our customers will continue by investing in the
kind of facilities our passengers and airlines are looking for. We
aim to become more innovative to ensure that our airport delivers
for the whole of the UK."
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Traffic Summary
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December 2024
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Terminal Passengers
(000s)
|
Dec
2024
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% Change
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Jan to
Dec 2024
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% Change
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Jan 2024 to
Dec 2024
|
% Change
|
|
Market
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UK
|
401
|
11.9
|
4,665
|
10.0
|
4,665
|
10.0
|
|
EU
|
2,229
|
5.6
|
28,107
|
7.4
|
28,107
|
7.4
|
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Non-EU Europe
|
483
|
-0.7
|
5,651
|
6.1
|
5,651
|
6.1
|
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Africa
|
297
|
-3.9
|
3,318
|
-7.8
|
3,318
|
-7.8
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North America
|
1,701
|
5.5
|
20,626
|
3.3
|
20,626
|
3.3
|
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Latin America
|
211
|
13.2
|
2,201
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6.6
|
2,201
|
6.6
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Middle East
|
802
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7.7
|
8,544
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6.6
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8,544
|
6.6
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Asia / Pacific
|
951
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6.5
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10,747
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9.9
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10,747
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9.9
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Total
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7,075
|
5.6
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83,860
|
5.9
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83,860
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5.9
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Air
Transport Movements
|
Dec
2024
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% Change
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Jan to
Dec 2024
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% Change
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Jan 2024 to
Dec 2024
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% Change
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Market
|
|
|
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UK
|
3,347
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20.1
|
37,147
|
14.8
|
37,147
|
14.8
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EU
|
16,296
|
3.1
|
206,371
|
5.6
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206,371
|
5.6
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Non-EU Europe
|
3,394
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-5.0
|
41,271
|
3.5
|
41,271
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3.5
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Africa
|
1,364
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0.1
|
14,988
|
-3.5
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14,988
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-3.5
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North America
|
7,103
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-2.0
|
91,031
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-0.2
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91,031
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-0.2
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Latin America
|
882
|
10.8
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9,149
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4.5
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9,149
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4.5
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Middle East
|
2,738
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9.9
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30,762
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3.1
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30,762
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3.1
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Asia / Pacific
|
3,730
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0.1
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43,246
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5.1
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43,246
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5.1
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Total
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38,854
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2.8
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473,965
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4.4
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473,965
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4.4
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Cargo
(Metric Tonnes)
|
Dec
2024
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% Change
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Jan to
Dec 2024
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% Change
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Jan 2024 to
Dec 2024
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% Change
|
|
Market
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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UK
|
52
|
232.4
|
530
|
-11.3
|
530
|
-11.3
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EU
|
6,694
|
-24.3
|
85,550
|
-11.0
|
85,550
|
-11.0
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Non-EU Europe
|
3,089
|
-8.4
|
40,212
|
-1.9
|
40,212
|
-1.9
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Africa
|
8,854
|
11.0
|
96,253
|
22.4
|
96,253
|
22.4
|
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North America
|
55,650
|
8.4
|
624,756
|
14.7
|
624,756
|
14.7
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Latin America
|
5,088
|
11.7
|
55,674
|
9.6
|
55,674
|
9.6
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Middle East
|
23,798
|
-1.2
|
268,839
|
2.7
|
268,839
|
2.7
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Asia / Pacific
|
34,753
|
5.0
|
408,177
|
14.3
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408,177
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14.3
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Total
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137,979
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3.5
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1,579,991
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10.4
|
1,579,991
|
10.4
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