London Heathrow Airport Records Busiest December Ever with Over 6.6 Million Passengers

London Heathrow Airport experienced its busiest December in history, with over 6.6 million passengers traveling through its terminals. This surge in passenger traffic contributed to a total of 79 million passengers for the year 2023. The peak travel day was Friday, December 22, with nearly 250,000 passengers, highlighting the airport's role in facilitating holiday reunions.

Significant operational success was achieved on Christmas Day, as Heathrow smoothly handled 142,000 passengers and nearly 800 flights, marking it the busiest Christmas Day in the airport's history. Transatlantic flights, especially to and from North America, were a major factor in this increase, with 1.6 million passengers traveling on this route in December alone. New York's JFK Airport emerged as Heathrow's most popular destination in 2023, attracting over three million passengers.

Terminal 5, celebrating 15 years since its opening, recorded its busiest year, handling over 33 million passengers, with 2.6 million in December 2023. Cargo operations also saw a boost, with Heathrow processing 133,277 tonnes in December, leading to a total of over 1.43 million tonnes for the year. This represents a growth of more than 2% compared to 2022, reflecting the airport's expanding long-haul network.

The airport solidified its position as the fourth busiest globally, with 24 routes surpassing a million passengers each in 2023. Boston and Geneva were the latest additions to this list in December.

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye expressed gratitude to the airport staff and partners for their efforts during the busy festive season and optimism for continued growth and global connectivity in 2024.

In terms of traffic, Heathrow saw an increase across various markets. The UK market grew by 26.4%, EU by 22.8%, and non-EU Europe by 19.8%. Notably, the Asia/Pacific market saw a remarkable increase of 76.2%. Air transport movements reflected similar trends, with a 20.5% overall increase in 2023. Cargo volumes showed a 16% increase in December, indicating a robust trading and forwarding environment facilitated by the airport.