London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has celebrated a record-breaking 2024, ending with its busiest December ever.
Last month, the airport handled over 7 million passengers during the festive season. This brought the total passenger count for the year to 83.9 million, surpassing the previous record of 80.9 million set in 2019.
In 2024, passenger demand remained strong for key destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, Dublin, and Madrid.
Christmas Day alone, traditionally a quieter travel day, saw an unprecedented 160,000 passengers, marking a 13% increase over the previous record in 2023.
The airport’s long-haul connectivity also facilitated the movement of 138,000 tonnes of cargo during December, contributing to a total of 1.5 million tonnes in 2024. This represents over 10% growth compared with the previous year.
Throughout the year, Heathrow maintained robust service levels despite the surge in traffic, with 92% of passengers passing through security in less than 5 minutes.
Investments in operational infrastructure, including upgraded security lanes and a resurfaced southern runway, ensured smooth operations even during the busiest summer in the airport’s history.
Building on this momentum, Heathrow is forecasting 84.2 million passengers for 2025, with a renewed focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences and supporting economic growth across the UK.
In line with this vision, the airport recently unveiled a 2.3 billion GBP investment plan to enhance the airport’s infrastructure and services over the next two years.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:2024 was an exciting and a record-breaking year at Heathrow - I'm proud of all my colleagues and our partners who worked so hard to deliver great experiences for more passengers than ever before. In 2025, our journey towards better value for our customers will continue by investing in the kind of facilities our passengers and airlines are looking for. We aim to become more innovative to ensure that our airport delivers for the whole of the UK.
