New data published by Heathrow has revealed that the airport handled 6.7 million passengers in April 2026 – a 5.3% decrease when compared to April 2025.
The report also shows that passenger traffic between Heathrow and the Middle East fell by 52.4% year-on-year in April 2026, whilst Asia-Pacific passenger traffic increased by 5.6% within the same period and 10.6% across the first four months of the year.
In total, the airport recorded 25.6 million passengers between January and April 2026, representing annual growth of 1.2%, whilst total rolling annual passenger numbers reached 84.8 million between April 2025 and 2026 – an increase of 0.9% year-on-year. Across the airport, it performed 38,496 air transport movements across April 2026, a reduction of 4.6% when compared to 2025.
Elsewhere, Heathrow handled 129,912 metric tonnes of cargo during the month, a 1.0% increase year-on-year. Cargo volumes to and from Asia-Pacific increased by 15.1% in April 2026, and by 10.2% across the first four months of the year. However, in line with passenger metrics, the airport’s cargo traffic linked to the Middle East also saw a decline of 23.7% during April 2026.
Throughout the month, North America remained Heathrow’s largest cargo market, accounting for 54,377 metric tonnes in April 2026, and the airport processed a total of 1.59 million metric tonnes of cargo over the 12 months to April 2026, a 0.2% increase year-on-year.
Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow CEO, said:We know passengers want certainty when planning their hard-earned summer holidays, so we are supporting Government and airlines as they work through their plans to get passengers on their journeys.
While we have seen some short‑term disruption linked to the Middle East conflict, demand for travel remains strong with current fuel supplies stable.
April was still our busiest month so far this year, underlining the strength of a global hub airport that can adapt quickly in times of uncertainty.
