Heathrow sets new monthly record for passenger numbers

Heathrow said it has set a new monthly record for passenger numbers, with nearly eight million people passing through its terminals in August.

The airport also saw its busiest day last month, with 269,000 passengers on August 18.

It is on course to serve 30 million passengers between June and September, which would be the most for that period in the airport’s history.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “I’m grateful to Team Heathrow for their preparation and dedication to delivering an extraordinary getaway for more passengers than ever before, maintaining strong service levels during what has been our busiest summer.

“For the past four months we have broken several new records, demonstrating our ability to open a world of opportunity for more people, cargo, business and the UK economy.”

Heathrow highlighted Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey as being popular summer holiday destinations last month.

The airport said Taylor Swift concerts brought in an additional 40,000 passengers this summer, with fans passing through its terminals for the European leg of her Eras Tour.

It added that more than 950,000 Pret coffees were sold at the airport across July and August.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – which owns and operates Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands Airports – said it has also had a record-breaking summer.

Passenger numbers across its airports reached nearly seven million in August, up 6.6% from the same month in 2023.

Manchester and Stansted airports had their busiest ever months in August, with 3.4 million and 3.1 million passengers respectively.