Heathrow passenger numbers up 29% last year after 'busiest ever December'

A plane landing at Heathrow Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

Heathrow Airport’s passenger numbers grew by 29% last year to reach 79.2 million.

The west London airport said it recorded its busiest ever December, with 6.7 million passengers.

Across the year as a whole, the market with the biggest increase in passenger numbers was Asia/Pacific, up 76% compared with 2022.

This was driven by a lifting of coronavirus travel restrictions in the region.

Some 1.4 million tonnes of cargo was moved through the airport in 2023, up 2% on the previous year.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “As we move into the new year, I want to extend my sincere thanks to all our team, Heathrow colleagues and partners for their hard and successful work over the busy festive period, which went really well in terms of service and operations.

“By ending 2023 on a high, a strong foundation is laid for 2024 during which Heathrow will continue to grow and to facilitate the UK’s potential for global growth.”

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