Heathrow records busiest February on record

Heathrow has reported its busiest February on record thanks to a sustained boom in travel demand and boost from half term holiday makers.

Some 5.8 million people passed through the airport over the month, compared to 5.2 million last year and 5.5 million in 2019, before the pandemic grounded flights.

Over 2 million people travelled during February half term meanwhile, the airport reported on Monday, while February’s extra leap year day dealt a 207,000-passenger uplift.

“It was wonderful to welcome so many passengers for the first holiday peak of 2024, setting a new Heathrow record,” chief executive Thomas Woldbye said.

According to the airport, winter sun was the most popular reason for travelling, with over two-thirds of passengers heading for somewhere warmer than London.

Some 1.9 million of those that passed through the airport in February were bound for European Union countries, with 1.1 million heading to North America.

Asia Pacific, Middle Eastern and non-EU destinations were the next most popular, with the airport recording 36,217 air transport movements, up 11.4% year on year.

“While we are serving more people, visitors to the UK are spending less since the removal of tax-free shopping, impacting businesses across the country,” Woldbye added.

“The Spring Budget was a missed opportunity to give the whole tourism, hospitality and retail sector the support it needs to compete internationally.”

Heathrow added it remained on course for a record year in 2024, beating the 80.9 million passenger mark recorded in 2019.