Heathrow increases 2024 traffic forecast following ‘record’ summer

London Heathrow has increased its 2024 traffic forecast to 83.8 million passengers following a “record-breaking” summer.

The UK hub consistently hit record passenger numbers between June and September, with 30.7 million passengers passing through its doors during the period. This brings total passenger numbers for the first nine months of the year to 63.1 million.

The “super summer” season also saw the airport record its busiest departures day (24 July) and its busiest arrivals day (2 September) in its history.

Commenting on the traffic uptick, Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “This summer has tested our colleagues, infrastructure and airlines to cooperate harder than ever before, with record numbers of passengers travelling through the busiest two runway airport in the world. We have risen to this challenge, delivering excellent service with over 91 per cent of passengers waiting at security for less than five minutes.”

Woldbye also shared his hopes for the UK’s soon-to-be-announced Autumn Budget, describing it as “a prime opportunity to set the aviation industry up for long term success”.

“Backing British SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] through a revenue certainty mechanism and committing to joined up policy making that makes sense for aviation will supercharge Heathrow’s potential to deliver growth and investment for the whole of the country,” he said.