Heathrow Airport set a new record by seeing 40 years’ growth of passengers in just 4 months.

• A proof of the UK aviation industry’s revival was the over 6 million passengers that passed through Heathrow in June, bringing the total for the first half of the year to 25 million. The unprecedented increase in passenger volume over the past four months is comparable to what has occurred over the previous 40 years.
• We began hiring in November of last year in preparation of capacity recovery this summer, and by the end of July, we will have the same number of security personnel on staff as we did before the pandemic. To give travellers more room, we also reopened Terminal 4.
• Following the enormous reductions in resource across the whole aviation supply chain, swiftly building capacity is exceedingly difficult. Due to delays at other airports and airspace congestion around Europe, arrival punctuality is extremely poor, which has made it more difficult for the airport, airlines, ground handlers, and governmental organisations to meet resource requirements.
• Despite this, we have been able to give the vast majority of passengers a high level of service. Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, there have been times over the past few weeks when service levels have not been acceptable, with long lines, delays for passengers with limited mobility, bags not travelling with passengers, or arriving late. We want to apologise to any affected passengers for this.
• The DfT and CAA requested the aviation industry to reassess summer schedules in June. Part of their request included introducing a slot amnesty to encourage carriers to cancel flights without facing financial consequences. At Heathrow, providing passengers with a secure and dependable journey is our top concern. If the reviewed adjustments to airline schedules can assist in achieving that, we will carefully evaluate them.
• Many folks probably haven’t travelled recently. The best way for travellers to get ready for their trips is to arrive at Heathrow no earlier than three hours before their flights, put any liquids that are less than 100ml in a clear, resealable 1lt bag, and take out any bulky electronics before going through security.
• We are evaluating the CAA’s most recent analysis for the H7 regulatory period and will provide any comments as soon as possible.

According to Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye, “We saw exponential increase in passenger numbers last month as nearly six million individuals left the country – the equivalent of 40 years of growth in only four months. I’m quite happy of how our staff has risen to the demand of expansion while providing consistently top-notch service to the vast majority of customers. However, there have already been instances in recent years where demand surpasses airport, airline, and ground handler capacity.

We will evaluate the schedule adjustments that the airlines have provided in response to the government’s mandate to minimise customer disturbance this summer and will request that they take more action if necessary. Everyone who travels through Heathrow should feel assured that their trip will be secure and dependable.