- Heathrow handled 7.2m passengers in June.
- Passenger numbers fell 1.8pc year on year.
- Now 0.2pc back behind pre-pandemic levels
- Total air transport movements reached 39,197.
Heathrow airport suffered a 1.8pc fall in passenger numbers last month and is back below pre-pandemic levels.
The west London airport said 7,227,494 passengers passed through its four terminals in June. That compared with 7,359,252 during the same month last year. The figure is 0.3pc behind pre-pandemic.
Heathrow attributed the decline to the “continued suppression of Middle East traffic” because of the conflict in the region.
Rolling annual was 84,551,531, up 0.7pc on the twelve months to June 2025. The figure for the first six months of the year was 39,998,001, up 02.2pc on the firsts six months of 2025.
Last month, two million passengers travelled from Heathrow to North America, where the World Cup is being hosted, 1.2pc more than in June 2025.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye shared: ”It’s been a strong end to the first half of 2026, despite the challenges presented by the situation in the Middle East, Sustained growth in North American and Asia-Pacific coupled with climbing cargo volumes demonstrates the strength of demand for global connectivity. As the government looks for projects that can drive economic growth across the whole of the country, attract investment and create new jobs for young people, Heathrow’s privately funded expansion presents an open goal. A third runway will unlock new opportunities for businesses, exporters and communities in every region and nation of the country. It’s time to get this vital project off the bench and onto the pitch.”
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.
