Heathrow in negative for FIFTH successive month with 7,866,510 passengers in August

Heathrow handles 23m passengers during summer 2026
Busiest ever day on 2 August with nearly 272,000 passengers
Over 40 airlines seeking scarce slots
Xiamen Airlines becomes newest carrier
Middle East traffic declined 19.8pc in August

London’s Heathrow airport handled 7,866,510 passengers in August, down 0.1pc on 2025 and up 2.4pc on pre-pandemic. Rolling annual is 84,260,316, up 0.3pc on the twelve months to August 2025.

Heathrow has recorded 23m passengers passing through the hub during the peak summer period from June to August 2026. In August alone, 7.8m passengers were welcomed, including a busiest ever day on 2 August with nearly 272,000 passengers. The airport reported that 98pc of passengers waited less than five minutes at security and 98pc saw bags depart as planned.

The number of incumbent and prospective airlines seeking slots now exceeds 40, with three-quarters of proposed new routes providing long-haul links. Heathrow’s ability to accommodate these routes is constrained without expansion. For 80 years, Heathrow’s teams have refined the service passengers expect, and that expertise is helping shape expansion plans.

Xiamen Airlines became Heathrow’s newest carrier this week. Middle East traffic declined 19.8pc in August, while Asia Pacific traffic increased 1.2pc. North America traffic declined 1.1pc and European Union traffic dipped 0.3pc. Cargo volumes grew 3.1pc to 137,115 metric tonnes for the month.

The plan for the Heathrow Airport third runway is officially moving forward under a £49n expansion blueprint. The UK government selected the proposal submitted by Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) over smaller rival schemes, aiming to build a full-length runway.

Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow CEO, shared: “This summer Heathrow remained Europe’s most punctual hub. The longest queue at Heathrow is now the one made up of over 40 airlines that want to better connect England but cannot secure a slot because our runways are full. Expansion is a national project that will create jobs, unlock growth and make travel more affordable. We are working with Government to deliver these benefits to every nation and region as quickly as possible.”

Full year 2025

For the full year 2025, Heathrow handled a record 84.5m passengers, surpassing 84m for the first time and exceeding the pre-pandemic peak of 2019. This represents a 0.7pc increase on 2024 and cements Heathrow’s position as Europe’s busiest airport. December 2025 was also the airport’s busiest December ever.

The strong rebound reflects sustained demand for both leisure and business travel, improved operational efficiency, and Heathrow’s role as England’s primary global hub. With capacity constraints limiting faster growth, the airport is forecasting around 85m passengers in 2026 while investing heavily in passenger experience.

Peak months were, expectedly, July 2025 (7,981,137) and August 2025 (8,035,996) were the strongest, reflecting the height of the European summer holiday season, but the shoulder months of April–June and September–October consistently delivered solid volumes above 7m. January and February remain the quietest (around 5.7–6.5m), turning in a new record for February.

Heathrow has made a robust recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic lows of 2020–2021 (when annual passengers dropped below 20–22m). Key milestones include:

2019 (pre-pandemic peak): 80.9m passengers.
2024: 83.9m passengers, already well above 2019 levels.
2025: Record 84.5m passengers, the busiest year in Heathrow’s history, up 0.7pc on 2024 and roughly 4.4pc above the 2019 benchmark.

November and December 2025 showed healthy volumes, with December 2025 (7,188,658) contributing to the airport’s busiest December ever.