Passenger traffic at London Heathrow Airport 2002-2023
In 2023, London Heathrow Airport handled approximately 79.2 million passengers, up from 61.6 million recorded in the previous year. Over the period given, the passenger traffic mostly increased until 2019 before decreasing sharply from roughly 81 million to approximately 22 million travelers in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Passenger traffic at London Heathrow Airport
As well as being the most populous city in the European Union, London is also one of Europe’s major commercial hubs and has the largest city airspace in the world. There are eight airports serving the London area, including Gatwick (IATA: LGW), Stansted (IATA: STN), and Heathrow (IATA: LHR). London Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world, handling over 70 million passengers annually in the last decade. By comparison, world’s busiest airport, Atlanta (IATA: ATL), handled some 75.7 million passengers in 2021.
After the reopening of Terminal 2 (the Queen's Terminal) on June 4, 2014, Heathrow is back to operating five terminals. Terminal 5, which was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008, resulted in construction costs of some 5.6 billion euros (or about 4.7 billion British pounds), making it one of the most expensive airport restructuring projects worldwide. The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings, which itself is owned by Spanish construction contractor Ferrovial (one of the largest European construction companies). In 2022, Heathrow Airport Holdings generated total revenue of just under three billion British pounds.
Passenger traffic at London Heathrow Airport
As well as being the most populous city in the European Union, London is also one of Europe’s major commercial hubs and has the largest city airspace in the world. There are eight airports serving the London area, including Gatwick (IATA: LGW), Stansted (IATA: STN), and Heathrow (IATA: LHR). London Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world, handling over 70 million passengers annually in the last decade. By comparison, world’s busiest airport, Atlanta (IATA: ATL), handled some 75.7 million passengers in 2021.
After the reopening of Terminal 2 (the Queen's Terminal) on June 4, 2014, Heathrow is back to operating five terminals. Terminal 5, which was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008, resulted in construction costs of some 5.6 billion euros (or about 4.7 billion British pounds), making it one of the most expensive airport restructuring projects worldwide. The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings, which itself is owned by Spanish construction contractor Ferrovial (one of the largest European construction companies). In 2022, Heathrow Airport Holdings generated total revenue of just under three billion British pounds.
