Heathrow Airport delivers a super summer getaway for millions

CREDIT: HEATHROW AIRPORT

7.5 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in August of 2023, as Heathrow Airport became the London airport of choice for passengers wanting a smooth journey this summer.

Passengers checked in more bags than ever before, and Heathrow’s baggage support team went the extra mile to help airline handlers get bags away on time.

Passenger satisfaction was higher than pre-pandemic, reflecting the investment the airport, airlines and their ground handlers have made in recruiting and training over 25,000 new colleagues in the last two years. This extra resilience meant that while flights at Heathrow were impacted by the UK-wide air traffic restrictions in August, operations quickly returned to normal.

Security wait times averaged only 1.5 minutes in August. Passengers used the extra time in the airport to stock up on food as Pret A Manger sold nearly one million sandwiches this summer. Others indulged in retail therapy to get ‘beach ready’, with a pair of sunglasses sold every two minutes.

Passengers and the UK’s supply chain have a growing list of destinations to choose from. With travel restrictions lifted, Heathrow now has more flights to more destinations in China than any other European hub. LATAM has confirmed the UK’s only direct service to Peru will take off from Heathrow on 01 December.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “I am very proud of the way colleagues across Team Heathrow made sure that passengers had a super start to their summer holidays, with record levels of passenger satisfaction and average security queue times of less than two minutes – Heathrow is back to its best.”

Traffic summary – August 2023

CREDIT: HEATHROW AIRPORT

CREDIT: HEATHROW AIRPORT

CREDIT: HEATHROW AIRPORT