Heathrow Airport sets new passenger record after bumper Christmas 2024

Heathrow Airport celebrated a record-breaking number of passengers in 2024, buoyed by a bumper Christmas period, and is already aiming for new records in 2025.

The UK's largest airport saw 83.9 million passengers in 2024, marking a 5.9% increase from the previous year and surpassing the former record set in 2019 by over 3 million, as reported by City AM.

December alone witnessed over 7 million travellers, up 5.6% from 2023. Even Christmas Day, typically one of the quieter times, experienced unprecedented numbers with 160,000 passengers travelling on 25 December, a 13% rise from the prior record in 2023.

"2024 was an exciting and a record-breaking year at Heathrow," commented Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow. The airport has forecasted a further increase to 84.2 million passengers for 2025, potentially setting another new record.

"With grey Mondays encouraging holiday bookings, 2025 is off to a strong start," the airport reported. To accommodate the growing traffic, Heathrow announced plans to invest over £1 billion to modernise its facilities.