Heathrow ups traffic forecast after record passenger numbers in October

Heathrow recorded its busiest ever October, serving with more than 7.2m passengers due to a strong half term, as the airport raised its traffic forecasts for the full year.

Heathrow served more than 7m passengers for the sixth month in a row – another first for the company – due to sustained demand throughout the summer period.

As a result, it now expects a record total of 83.8m passengers to use its terminals across 2024, 2.9m higher than the previous record of 80.9m in 2019. This will equate to 7,300 extra passengers every day.

October's figures were up 3.7% on the year before, as a 12.8% drop in passengers from Africa was offset by growth elsewhere, including 8.9% growth in domestic passengers, 8.2% growth in passengers from the EU, and 2.2% growth from North America.

“This year has been all about breaking records at Heathrow. To keep up with growing demand and progress towards our vision of an extraordinary airport fit for the future we are investing more than £1 billion in 2024 alone," said Heathrow's chief executive Thomas Woldbye.

"Being home to the world’s most connected airport is a huge boost for the UK economy thanks to Heathrow’s unrivalled links for passengers and cargo. To maintain that competitive edge, the government needs to recognise aviation’s vital role in enabling and supporting other sectors in its Industrial Strategy.”

In a statement, Heathrow called on the government to support growth for the aviation sector and back efforts to decarbonise, saying: "No other sector can truly open global opportunities for UK businesses at the pace needed to help deliver the government’s economic growth mission."