February traffic figures press release

Heathrow

11 March 2024

 

Heathrow leaps into record February with busiest winter half-term

•             Heathrow served a record number of passengers in February as 5.8m people flew through the UK's hub airport last month.

•             The busiest ever February half-term saw more than 2m passengers at Heathrow. Winter sun won over the ski slopes with nearly two thirds of travellers landing somewhere warmer than London.

•             Even before the leap year lift of 207,000 passengers on 29 February, Heathrow is on track to serve more passengers this year than ever before. Meanwhile, cargo tonnage is 21% up on 2023, outperforming European comparators and the global average of 8%.

•             Heathrow's departure boards continue to offer unrivalled choice. The latest route additions include more services to the very north of the UK with Loganair, BA routes to Abu Dhabi, Kos and Izmir, a new Virgin Atlantic service to Bangalore and the return of Vueling to Barcelona and Paris (Orly), in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

•             Whatever the destination, passengers can travel with confidence at Heathrow this Easter. Airport teams are ready and prepared to make the next travel peak another success.

•             The Chancellor missed the opportunity to back British business at the Spring Budget, prioritising short-term decisions over policies that would deliver the growth and jobs the UK economy needs. Instead, he raised taxes on aviation with no ring-fencing for the green transition.

Heathrow CEO, Thomas Woldbye, said: "It was wonderful to welcome so many passengers for the first holiday peak of 2024, setting a new Heathrow record. While we are serving more people, visitors to the UK are spending less since the removal of tax-free shopping, impacting businesses across the country. The Spring Budget was a missed opportunity to give the whole tourism, hospitality and retail sector the support it needs to compete internationally."

Traffic Summary
February 2024
Terminal Passengers (000s)	Feb 2024	% Change	Jan to Feb 2024	% Change	Mar 2023 to Feb 2024	% Change
Market
UK	359	11.5	715	9.6	4,305	19.0
EU	1,868	9.9	3,626	9.2	26,464	14.9
Non-EU Europe	449	14.3	892	10.4	5,413	13.9
Africa	285	0.0	594	-1.7	3,589	15.6
North America	1,121	7.6	2,444	8.7	20,156	21.4
Latin America	176	3.3	370	5.6	2,085	13.9
Middle East	685	15.0	1,393	12.6	8,174	10.5
Asia / Pacific	854	23.8	1,758	20.9	10,081	55.7
Total	5,796	11.6	11,792	10.4	80,267	20.1
Air Transport Movements	Feb 2024	% Change	Jan to Feb 2024	% Change	Mar 2023 to Feb 2024	% Change
Market
UK	2,886	14.8	5,803	8.6	32,827	14.1
EU	15,576	13.7	30,742	9.3	197,965	10.7
Non-EU Europe	3,670	16.4	7,307	11.1	40,616	12.6
Africa	1,291	0.7	2,675	-0.6	15,520	9.4
North America	6,220	3.3	12,995	3.9	91,690	16.1
Latin America	757	6.5	1,598	7.2	8,865	12.8
Middle East	2,348	5.3	4,868	4.1	30,035	12.1
Asia / Pacific	3,469	19.8	7,222	19.5	42,315	37.8
Total	36,217	11.4	73,210	8.5	459,833	14.3
Cargo (Metric Tonnes)	Feb 2024	% Change	Jan to Feb 2024	% Change	Mar 2023 to Feb 2024	% Change
Market
UK	56	28.6	200	61.1	673	38.2
EU	8,693	18.8	16,922	17.1	98,577	-3.6
Non-EU Europe	3,625	16.3	7,211	10.7	41,689	2.5
Africa	7,399	22.1	14,961	27.6	81,849	6.8
North America	47,864	7.6	91,183	6.5	550,251	-1.3
Latin America	4,229	21.1	8,463	21.1	52,274	16.5
Middle East	22,865	27.9	46,174	28.6	271,941	12.7
Asia / Pacific	33,260	45.5	65,131	42.9	376,615	19.4
Total	127,990	21.6	250,245	20.9	1,473,871	6.8

 

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