General Atomics

Heathrow welcomes over six million passengers in March

In March, Heathrow welcomed more than 6.2 million passengers, a slight decline on 2024 due to the timing of Ramadan and a later Easter this year which both impact travel patterns, along with a 10-hour closure due to a power supply failure caused by the major fire at National Grid and SSEN’s North Hyde substation.



Image courtesy Heathrow

Heathrow continues to facilitate UK trade growth handling over 144,000 tonnes of cargo in March 2025 – including a strong 4% year-on-year increase in cargo flown in the belly hold of passenger flights. Projections show Mother’s Day flowers were particularly popular, with an estimated 2,800 tonnes of flowers coming in just before the celebrations.   

Eight new and resumed routes will be joining Heathrow’s expansive lineup.  The new offerings from Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada and British Airways include connections to the capital cities of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Canada (Ottawa) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur).  

Heathrow passengers can now travel to the cities of four UNESCO World Heritage sites, across three continents, including Canada’s Rideau Canal (Ottawa), Santiago de Compostela’s Old Town, the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna (Rimini) and Georgia’s Historic Monuments of Mtskheta (Tbilisi), making it the first time a flight from Heathrow has been routed for Tbilisi in the last 10 years.

Looking ahead, the airport anticipates an increase in passengers over the next few months as many people plan to reunite with loved ones during the Easter period and take advantage of the May bank holidays.

Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow CEO, said: “It’s great to see strong demand to travel through Heathrow. Whilst passenger numbers were slightly down due to changing holidays this year, belly hold cargo on passenger flights was a bright spot growing 4% and underlining the importance of Heathrow as the UK’s gateway to growth.

"We are still on track to see another record year in 2025 and colleagues are working hard preparing for a busy Easter and May Bank Holiday getaway.”

Related

IndiGo suspends Manchester flights as airspace restrictions push up costs
MAG Manchester Mumbai IndiGo
IndiGo suspends Manchester flights as airspace restrictions push up costs
IndiGo has temporarily suspended flights from Manchester to Delhi and Mumbai, blaming longer flight times, airspace restrictions and rising operating costs.
Aerospace

2 Sep 2026

RAF Air Command becomes Air and Space Command as Britain elevates military space operations
An RAF-operated Typhoon FGR4 is displayed alongside two Storm Shadow ALCMs during an event at RAF Marham, Norfolk, on 1 September 2019. Image: MOD Crown Copyright/SAC Simon Armstrong
RAF Air Command becomes Air and Space Command as Britain elevates military space operations
With the growing importance of military space operations, the new name reflects the widening remit of the RAF’s primary operational division.
Aerospace Defence

1 Sep 2026

TEKEVER acquires Edinburgh-based Flowcopter
FIA 2026
TEKEVER acquires Edinburgh-based Flowcopter
The move is designed to expand TEKEVER's autonomous capabilities with advanced propulsion technology.
Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
RAF Fylingdales
Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
As part of the contract, a new software analytical tool developed by Serco - with the RAF and UK Space Command - is set to enhance RAF Fylingdales' detection and tracking system.
ALL.​SPACE to support adaptive space manufacturing for US Department of War DIU
ALL.SPACE sat comms
ALL.​SPACE to support adaptive space manufacturing for US Department of War DIU
In an effort to improve space manufacturing readiness and deployment of resilient solutions, the US Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU) has contracted ALL.​SPACE to assist in its rapid delivery of mission-critical multi-orbit satellite comms capabilities.
UK can’t assume wartime ship requisition will guarantee access to sealift, new report warns
A Royal Navy-operated Merlin HM4 hovers over the deck of the sanctioned Cameroonian-flagged crude oil tanker and suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' vessel, Smyrtos, during a maritime interdiction mission to seize the vessel on 14 June 2026. Image: MOD Crown Copyright/Royal Navy
UK can’t assume wartime ship requisition will guarantee access to sealift, new report warns
The UK may be able to requisition commercial vessels in a crisis, but modern shipping networks mean access to crews, specialist skills and support services is far from guaranteed.
Defence

2 Sep 2026

Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
RAF Fylingdales
Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
As part of the contract, a new software analytical tool developed by Serco - with the RAF and UK Space Command - is set to enhance RAF Fylingdales' detection and tracking system.
ALL.​SPACE to support adaptive space manufacturing for US Department of War DIU
ALL.SPACE sat comms
ALL.​SPACE to support adaptive space manufacturing for US Department of War DIU
In an effort to improve space manufacturing readiness and deployment of resilient solutions, the US Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU) has contracted ALL.​SPACE to assist in its rapid delivery of mission-critical multi-orbit satellite comms capabilities.
Teledyne passes 1,000 sensors in orbit with NASA Roman Telescope launch
The infrared focal plane with H4RG-10 detector
Teledyne passes 1,000 sensors in orbit with NASA Roman Telescope launch
The launch of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope marks a major milestone for Teledyne, whose detector technology will enable the mission to investigate dark energy, hunt for exoplanets and survey billions of galaxies.
Member News Space

1 Sep 2026

Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
RAF Fylingdales
Serco awarded RAF Fylingdales early warning radar contract
As part of the contract, a new software analytical tool developed by Serco - with the RAF and UK Space Command - is set to enhance RAF Fylingdales' detection and tracking system.
Royal Navy support ship programme reaches key milestone at Appledore
Three Fleet Solid Support vessels being delivered for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary through a partnership between Navantia UK, BMT and Harland & Wolff.
Royal Navy support ship programme reaches key milestone at Appledore
Construction of the first Fleet Solid Support ship reaches a key milestone as work progresses on the Royal Navy's future replenishment fleet.
Defence Security

1 Sep 2026

TEKEVER acquires Edinburgh-based Flowcopter
FIA 2026
TEKEVER acquires Edinburgh-based Flowcopter
The move is designed to expand TEKEVER's autonomous capabilities with advanced propulsion technology.