London Heathrow airport announced on Wednesday that it had served a record 39.8 million passengers in the first half of the year, despite a slight dip in revenues. The airport, which is Europe's busiest, reported a 7.3 per cent increase in passenger numbers compared to the same period last year, attributing the rise to the introduction of new airlines and a surge in demand that has more than doubled in recent years.
Heathrow, ranked seventh globally and the largest in Britain, also noted that it had its busiest day ever on June 30, with 268,000 passengers flying on over 1,300 flights. Although the airport's revenues fell by 2.9 per cent compared to the first half of 2023, its net profit surged by 26 per cent year-on-year to 228 million pounds ($290 million).
In early July, the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) instructed Heathrow to lower the fees charged to airlines for 2025 and 2026, following a previous reduction demanded last year amid a dispute with the airlines. The regulator sought a 29 per cent reduction in these charges, which are reflected in ticket prices, citing a return of passenger numbers to pre-pandemic levels. However, Heathrow's general manager, Thomas Woldbye, expressed disagreement with this decision, highlighting the airport's need to consider its investment capacity after substantial losses due to the Covid pandemic.
