Heathrow warns on losing European crown without expansion
Heathrow Airport has kicked off the new year with a shattering of its previous traffic record but has offered a stark warning it could lose its crown without progress on expansion.
Some 6.5m passengers travelled through the airport in January, marking a 2.2 per cent increase on last year and making it the busiest January on record. The month also included multiple peak days of over 250,000 passengers, surpassing the previous January’s record of 246,00.
But despite the fresh milestones the airport’s leadership used the momentum to offer a stark warning on expansion.
“We remain Europe’s largest airport, but latest figures show we may lose that position in 2026 and we cannot keep driving growth for the UK economy without more capacity,” chief executive said.
“That’s why Heathrow expansion is so critical.”
Woldbye said the decision the government takes this year is “essential to enable the delivery of the UK’s flagship growth project”.
As of February 2026, the expansion project for the UK’s largest airport officially moved out of its paused state and into a preparatory phase. Following the government’s formal backing of the Northwest Runway scheme in late 2025, the project is now working toward a series of critical regulatory hurdles this year.
The Department for Transport is poisted to publish the draft Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) this summer, providing the framework for making decisions on an airport’s growth plans.
This will also coincide with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) determining a long-term model for airport charges – a key factor for whether Heathrow will invest in a third runway. The final ANPS will return to the Commons in the Autumn for decision.
Heathrow feels crunch of government policy
At the end of January, the airport revealed rising employment costs and the government’s contentious business rates plan was set to eat a chunk of the company’s rising revenue.
The business said its profit had sank by 38 per cent in the nine months to October and pointed to higher-than-expected costs, primarily from government policy.
The firm specifically cited a link to “employment and business rates” leaving its bottom line “under pressure”.
At the beginning of 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves threw her weight behind the Heathrow expansion as part of the government’s flagship growth push.
Reeves told business leaders the Heathrow expansion would “make Britain the world’s best connected place to do business”.
Previous attempts at expansion have historically faced hurdles due to environmental concerns.
Reeves’ bid has continued to face opposition, including from mayor of London Sadiq Khan who last year said he “remains opposed” to a third runway.
“I remain opposed to a new runway at Heathrow airport because of the severe impact it will have on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets,” the mayor said.