Heathrow records busiest month since start of pandemic

Heathrow Airport has recorded its busiest month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The airport said it was used by 4.2 million passengers in March.

This represents nearly an eight-fold increase on the total during the same month in 2021.

An estimated 21.5 million leisure trips will be made by car between Good Friday and Easter Monday, the RAC said.

That is the most since the organisation began tracking motorists’ Easter plans in 2014.

A spike in coronavirus-related staff absences, combined with difficulties finding and passing security checks for new recruits, means the aviation sector has struggled to cope with the number of people flying in recent weeks.

Heathrow admitted “resources are stretched” but described how it is “working closely with airlines and ground handlers to make sure this increase in demand can be met while keeping passengers safe”.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “It is fantastic to see the airport coming back to life after two years, and I want to thank all team Heathrow colleagues for working together to serve our passengers.

“Everyone at Heathrow is doing everything we can to make sure passengers get on their way as smoothly and safely as possible.”

The rise in passengers was attributed to the Government’s removal of all coronavirus travel restrictions.

Demand was driven by outbound leisure travel at weekends and during school holidays.