London Heathrow Airport: Record run continues as September traffic booms
London Heathrow Airport reported a record month of passenger traffic in September, as this year’s stellar run continued into the typically quieter Autumn period.
Some 7.3m passengers travelled through the UK’s biggest airport in September, beating last year’s record by over 200,000.
“We are closing out our super summer on a high, with over 30m passengers passing through Heathrow’s doors in the last four months,” Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said.
Fears that booming travel demand in the post-Covid era would taper off this year have failed to materialise in recent months.
Heathrow is expecting record annual passenger traffic, while Europe’s major airlines have reported consistently strong demand for flights despite wider industry challenges.
Shares in Ryanair, Europe’s biggest carrier, soared in August after passenger numbers surpassed 20m in a single month.
Following the announcement, chief executive Michael O’Leary revised previously gloomier predictions surrounding income from peak-season fares.
Heathrow’s bullish performance comes as the hub mulls whether to pursue its long-delayed expansion plans.
A firm decision has yet to be made and any proposals would need to be signed off by the Labour government, which has in recent months signalled it is “open-minded” towards UK airport’s ramping up capacity.
The West-London hub is also in a spat with government over a new £10 charge levied on visa-exempt passengers travelling via connecting flights.
It has warned the so-called Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which is being rolled out to most nationalities in the coming months, could drive traffic to rival European hubs.