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

RAF roundels explained: Why Royal Air Force aircraft use different markings
RAF Red Arrows and Typhoon open Farnborough International Airshow 2022
RAF roundels explained: Why Royal Air Force aircraft use different markings
RAF roundels have identified British military aircraft for more than a century. Here's why Royal Air Force aircraft carry different markings, from Spitfires to today's stealthy F-35 fleet.
Aerospace Defence

3 Oct 2026

UK Government opens scheme to slash manufacturers’ electricity bills
Jonathan Reynolds
UK Government opens scheme to slash manufacturers’ electricity bills
Applications for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) are now open to over 10,000 manufacturing businesses.
Aerospace Defence

2 Oct 2026

UK Government proposes airline fee reforms and tougher measures on disruptive passengers
Aircraft landing at Heathrow Airport
UK Government proposes airline fee reforms and tougher measures on disruptive passengers
New aviation proposals would end charges for seating young children with accompanying adults, restrict fees for simple booking errors and strengthen airline cooperation on repeat disruptive passengers.
Aerospace

2 Oct 2026

RAF roundels explained: Why Royal Air Force aircraft use different markings
RAF Red Arrows and Typhoon open Farnborough International Airshow 2022
RAF roundels explained: Why Royal Air Force aircraft use different markings
RAF roundels have identified British military aircraft for more than a century. Here's why Royal Air Force aircraft carry different markings, from Spitfires to today's stealthy F-35 fleet.
Aerospace Defence

3 Oct 2026

Royal Navy tests autonomous systems against threats to critical underwater infrastructure
Exercise Repmus 2026 in Portugal
Royal Navy tests autonomous systems against threats to critical underwater infrastructure
The Royal Navy used NATO's REPMUS exercise in Portugal to evaluate autonomous vessels, underwater gliders and other emerging capabilities designed to detect underwater threats and protect critical infrastructure.
Defence

2 Oct 2026

UK targets 30% rise in RAF A400M availability under £190m Airbus deal
Pictured here is an Royal Air Force A400M Atlas flying thought the machloop in Wales on the 21st November 2024.
UK targets 30% rise in RAF A400M availability under £190m Airbus deal
A £190m Airbus support deal will target a 30% increase in RAF A400M availability while sustaining more than 350 UK jobs through April 2029.
Defence

2 Oct 2026

SatVu’s HotSat-3 launches on SpaceX mission to double thermal satellite capacity
SAtVu HotSat
SatVu’s HotSat-3 launches on SpaceX mission to double thermal satellite capacity
SatVu has launched HotSat-3 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission, adding capacity for high-resolution thermal intelligence from space.
Member News Space

2 Oct 2026

Orbex’s UK manufacturing assets and IP acquired by Omnidea
Omnidea engineering testing platform
Orbex’s UK manufacturing assets and IP acquired by Omnidea
Portugal's Omnidea has purchased the manufacturing assets and intellectual property (IP) of British rocket manufacturer Orbex UK, which ceased operations in February this year and went into administration.
Member News Space

2 Oct 2026

Filtronic wins SpaceX contract to support Starlink network
ground station
Filtronic wins SpaceX contract to support Starlink network
Sedgefield headquartered Filtronic has won a $68.1 million (£51.52m) order from SpaceX to support its Starlink network, highlighting the growing global demand for UK-developed space technology.
Member News Space

1 Oct 2026

Cohort appoints Richard Mills as Group Strategy Director
Richard Mills
Cohort appoints Richard Mills as Group Strategy Director
Former Boeing executive Richard Mills will lead the growth strategy of Cohort and its seven subsidiaries which specialise in defence and security technology across the UK, Germany, Portugal and Australia.
BAE Systems proves complete counter-drone kill chain in Scotland trials
Container and Sensor
BAE Systems proves complete counter-drone kill chain in Scotland trials
BAE Systems has demonstrated its complete BATS counter-drone chain in Scotland, integrating sensors, electronic warfare and a gun system.
Security

1 Oct 2026

Doncaster Sheffield Airport takes another step towards reopening with new firefighting fleet
Doncaster Sheffield Airport fire appliance
Doncaster Sheffield Airport takes another step towards reopening with new firefighting fleet
Doncaster Sheffield Airport has ordered three specialist aviation firefighting vehicles as preparations continue for its planned reopening.