Heathrow Airport ended 2025 having achieved its strongest performance on record, welcoming more than 84 million passengers over the year for the first time and delivering its busiest December ever, with almost 7.2 million travelers passing through the UK’s hub airport.
The record-breaking year was marked by Heathrow’s busiest day in history on August 1, when more than 270,000 passengers traveled through the airport. Overall, passenger volumes exceeded 2024 levels in nine of the 12 months, reinforcing Heathrow’s position as one of the world’s most connected airport hubs and expanding choice for travelers.
Operational performance also improved throughout the year. In December, Heathrow retained its title as Europe’s most punctual hub airport, with more than 97% of passengers waiting less than five minutes at security. Baggage handling performance strengthened, achieving a load rate of over 98% in 2025. This improvement resulted in an additional 250,000 bags traveling on their intended flights compared with the previous year, supporting smoother and more reliable journeys for passengers and airlines.
Cargo volumes remained robust, underlining Heathrow’s role as the UK’s largest port by value. In December alone, the airport handled 138,000 metric tons of cargo, with the 6th, 14th and 20th of the month setting the three highest daily cargo records of 2025. Across the full year, total cargo volumes increased by 12,600 metric tons year-on-year.
The festive period also delivered strong retail performance, with an item sold at World Duty Free every 5.5 seconds during December, reflecting sustained passenger spending and confidence.
Looking ahead, Heathrow is preparing for another busy year in 2026, with plans to invest more than £1.3bn (US$1.75bn) to enhance customer experience, service resilience and operational performance.
“December’s record-breaking performance shows the strength of demand for Heathrow and the benefit to passengers of the great service our colleagues are providing,” said Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye. “Last year, there was no hub airport in Europe that was more punctual than Heathrow, and we look forward to building on that success in 2026. With the government’s support for our expansion plans, and the right regulatory framework from the CAA to secure private investment, we can unlock even more of that connectivity, trade and economic growth for the UK.”
Passenger traffic for the year reached 84.5 million, up 0.7% year-on-year, while air transportation movements rose to almost 478,000 flights. Cargo volumes totalled nearly 1,600,000 metric tons, also up 0.8% compared with 2024, reflecting Heathrow’s continued importance to global trade and supply chains.
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