Heathrow passenger numbers near pre-Covid levels

London airport Heathrow said on Monday that passenger numbers had edged closer to pre-Covid levels in January, while wait times almost returned to those seen before the pandemic.

Heathrow stated roughly 5.5m passengers flew via the airport in January, a 111% year-on-year increase and a mere 10% short of the 6.1m seen in 2020.

The operator of Europe's busiest airport added that waiting times were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels despite strikes and ground crew shortages in 2022, which led it to put a ceiling on flight numbers.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said Heathrow was "back to its best" and did his best to downplay the impact of recent strike action undertaken by Border Force staff.

Heathrow also stated that automatic e-gates would be made available for children ahead of further industrial action set to take place during the upcoming half-term week.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com