Heathrow welcomes record 39.8m passengers in first six months of 2024
Image courtesy Heathrow
On June 30th Heathrow has its busiest day ever, with over 268,000 passengers travelling on over 1,300 flights. High load factors and larger aircraft are driving growth, with key destinations in Asia and the Middle East experiencing more than doubled demand in recent years.
Heathrow is prepared for a super summer getaway, supported by a record number of 90,000 Team Heathrow colleagues. This is driving strong operational performance, with departures punctuality improving year on year to 72.8% in the first six months of 2024 and over 95% passengers passing through security in less than five minutes.
Despite record passenger numbers, aeronautical revenue is down by almost 8% - which Heathrow says is as a result of the CAA’s H7 settlement - and it is continuing to make progress on closing a £400 million shortfall from the settlement, whilst it has streamlined operations to turn a £178 million adjusted profit before tax in H1.
Heathrow’s refreshed business strategy is backed by six beacons ranging from our shorter-term goals of creating a ‘winning team’ and being ‘fast and focused’ to our aims of a ‘digital future’ and ‘creating capacity’ and ultimately bringing the most ‘value for customers.’ The beacons provide a roadmap to achieving our extraordinary vision. Continued progress has been recorded for our ‘people and planet’ beacon with the first of multiple ultra rapid EV charging hubs rolled out airside, capable of charging operational vehicles for multiple days use in under 30 minutes.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: "Serving record-breaking passenger numbers while continuing to deliver excellent customer service is no easy feat and is testament to the dedication of my hardworking colleagues. In addition to the nearly 40 million passengers that flew through Heathrow during the first six months, so did 765,000 tonnes of cargo, supporting world leading British industries to access global export markets. We are working hard to deliver economic benefits for all of the UK but this needs to be supported by joined up policy making that prioritises global competitiveness and sustainable growth. We are encouraged by the new Government's recognition of Heathrow's role in powering growth across the country, and look forward to working with Ministers to ensure we are firing on all cylinders and retain our global standing."
While Heathrow continues to attract new routes and record passenger numbers, it says competitive drags hang over the airport with bureaucratic tax and border policies pushing passengers to rival European hubs. Accordingly, it is encouraging the new Government to back aviation by taking a coordinated approach to policy making that supports the sector's long-term competitiveness.
