Heathrow prepares for busiest Christmas after record-breaking year

• Last month Heathrow served over 6.5 million passengers, the highest ever November.
• Heathrow continues to be the UK’s largest port by value, connecting businesses to over 234 destinations globally. We have now surpassed 2023’s cargo volumes by 11% as a result of greater belly hold cargo capacity on passenger aircraft and a stronger overall demand market.
• Heathrow is expecting its busiest December ever. On Christmas Day this year, the airport expects to the number of passengers to increase by 21 percent, in comparison to last year.
• Festive activities will be ongoing across the terminals in December including seasonal crafts with Christmas Fairies, the opportunity to meet Santa Claus and snapping photos with Bjorn the polar bear. With dazzling decorations and 58 sparkling Christmas trees, Heathrow promises a magical holiday experience.
• Singapore (SIN), Edinburgh (EDI), Lisbon (LIS), Abu Dhabi (AUH), Chicago (ORD), Zurich (ZRH), Mumbai (BOM) and Paris (CDG) all joined the ‘Millionaire Club’ in November with over a million passengers travelling on those routes so far in 2024. We are on target to have 25 routes hit a million passengers this year, up from 24 last year.

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:  

“This year has been all about providing high levels of service for record amounts of passengers at Heathrow, and November was no different. As we embrace the festive season, our focus remains on ensuring smooth, joyful journeys—whether it is helping passengers get away for Christmas to reunite with their loved ones, or making sure cargo reaches its destination on time. Make sure to look out for our exciting seasonal surprises throughout the terminals, as we aim to make this holiday season magical for those travelling through Heathrow.”

Traffic Figures – November 2024