Heathrow Airport anticipates setting a new record by handling 83.8 million passengers in 2024, spurred by a summer surge in travel. Between June and September alone, 30.7 million travelers

passed through Heathrow’s terminals. The airport experienced its busiest days ever for both departures and arrivals on July 24 and September 2, respectively.

The previous annual passenger high for Heathrow was 80.9 million, set in 2019 before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Financially, the airport has seen significant improvement, posting an adjusted profit before tax of £350 million for the first nine months of this year, a strong turnaround from a £19 million loss in the same period of 2023.

Chief Executive Thomas Woldbye noted the challenges posed by the record demand, which tested Heathrow’s staff, infrastructure, and airline partners. “This summer has pushed us to collaborate harder than ever before, and we delivered excellent service, with over 91% of passengers waiting less than five minutes at security,” Woldbye stated.

The question of shareholder dividends for 2024 remains “under review” according to a Heathrow spokesperson, who emphasized that dividends will be issued based on the business’s ability to deliver strong customer results.

Heathrow’s ownership is diversified, including sovereign wealth funds from China and Qatar, Spanish firm Ferrovial, and other major infrastructure investors. In June, Ferrovial agreed to sell most of its 25% stake to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and French firm Ardian, following an earlier announcement of its intent to divest.

Looking to the future, Mr. Woldbye urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to consider measures in the upcoming Budget that could bolster the aviation sector’s long-term success. His proposals included establishing revenue certainty for UK sustainable aviation fuel producers and implementing cohesive policies to support the industry’s growth and sustainability. Photo by Ed Webster, Wikimedia commons.