London’s Heathrow has recorded its busiest day since October 2019 as the airport’s strong April performance paves the way for its busiest year on record.
Airport teams welcomed a daily average of 224,000 passengers during April 2024, with the monthly total of 6.7 million passengers bringing the yearly total to date up to 25.2 million. “As we continue to grow, our focus is on making Heathrow fit for the future, delivering reliable journeys for all our customers today and getting ready for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” highlighted Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye. However, referencing the opportunity to unlock the airport’s full potential, he called on the UK Government to “implement policies that support UK aviation’s ability to compete globally, and this make the UK more competitive overall”.
Current government policy is curtailing the UK’s global connectivity, continued the airport in a statement, adding that “initiatives like the introduction of unnecessary visas for transiting passengers, the absence of tax free-shopping and the recently proposed hike in business rates underscore the need for Ministers to take a cross-Government approach to policymaking that supports UK aviation’s global competitiveness”.
New York, Dubai and Doha are currently the three most popular destinations from Heathrow so far this year, with a sharp rise in passengers to Deli and Mumbai propelling these to the sixth and eighth spots respectively. East Asian and Middle Eastern routes have also seen double-digit percentage increases in passengers, with the Asia-Pacific market registering a 19% increase in passengers compared to April 2023. Africa was the only region in the world to experience a decline in passenger numbers, at -5.4%.
First published by FINN: www.wearefinn.com
May 14, 2024 – 9:55 am
