New data has shown that London Heathrow handled 7.8 million passengers in August, despite a 2.1% year-on-year dip.
Figures indicate that strong growth across Asia Pacific (+1.2%, 989,000 passengers ) and Africa (+2%, 302,000 passengers) have helped offset a fall in Middle East traffic (-19.8%, 668,000 passengers), whilst North American traffic declined by 1.1% to 2 million and EU traffic remained stable with a minor reduction of 0.3% to 2.8 million.
In total, the airport has handled 55.7 million passengers so far in 2026 – a reduction of 0.4% during the same period last year, with Asia Pacific leading growth (+6.6% increase in passenger numbers) followed by Africa (+5.5%) and non-EU Europe (+2.6%).
Elsewhere, Heathrow recorded a total of 41,048 aircraft movements in August – a 1.3% decline on last year. Asia Pacific movements jumped 8.8% year-on-year to 4,077, whilst Africa rose 5.2% to 1,254.
Latin American movements increased 3.8% and North American traffic was broadly unchanged, whilst the Middle East saw the steepest fall, with movements down 22.5% to 2,054. EU movements also declined, falling 2.2% to 18,408.
Overall, has Heathrow recorded 312,559 air transport movements between January and August, down 1.7% year-on-year. Asia Pacific remains the strongest-growing market over the period, up 8.5%, followed by Africa at 4.1%.
Cargo volumes at the airport rose 3.1% year-on-year in August to 137,115 tonnes, with Asia Pacific cargo increasing to 13.3% to 39,537 tonnes, whilst North American volumes increased 5.1% to 57,182 tonnes. Together, the two markets accounted for the majority of Heathrow’s cargo and remain the airport’s strongest-performing markets so far this year.
Heathrow handled 1.06 million tonnes of cargo in the first eight months of 2026, up 1.1% on the same period last year. Asia Pacific volumes are up 10.3% year-to-date, with Africa also recording growth of 3.8% and the Middle East remaining the weakest-performing market, with cargo down 13.7% year-to-date, while Latin America and non-EU Europe have also seen significant declines.
Across the 12 months to August, Heathrow handled 1.60 million tonnes of cargo, broadly unchanged year-on-year.
Additional figures published by the airport state that it handled 23 million passengers during the summer months (June to August), and observed its busiest day in history on 02 August with more almost 272,000 passengers choosing to travel through the UK’s only hub. Passengers reported consistently smooth journeys, with 98% waiting less than five minutes at security, and 98% seeing bags depart as planned.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: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 the UK but can’t 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.
