Heathrow concluded 2023 with a remarkable festive season, experiencing its busiest December ever. The airport welcomed over 6.6 million passengers in December, bringing the total number of passengers for the year to 79 million.
The surge in passenger numbers during the festive season was driven by robust transatlantic travel, with over 1.6 million passengers flying to and from North America in December. New York (JFK) emerged as Heathrow’s most popular destination in 2023, with over 3 million passengers traveling to and from the city. Averaging at around 216,000 daily passengers the busiest day over the festive period was Friday 22nd December with almost 250,000 passing through the airport to reunite with loved ones in time for the holidays.
Heathrow’s commitment to operational excellence and collaborative efforts with airport partners ensured seamless journeys for passengers, even on the busiest Christmas Day on record, with 142,000 travellers accommodated and nearly 800 flights arriving and departing.
Transatlantic travel remained a key driver for passenger numbers with 1.6 million travelling to and from North America in December, as New York (JFK) clinched the top spot as the most popular destination this year with over three million passengers in total. 2023 was Terminal 5’s busiest year ever, surpassing 33 million passengers for the second time since opening 15 years ago and serving 2.6 million passengers in December alone.
The gift-giving season saw Heathrow process 133,277 tonnes of cargo in December, culminating in a total of over 1.43 million tonnes processed in 2023 – this represents more than 2% growth compared with 2022, with traders and forwarders taking advantage of the growing long-haul network to fly their goods around the world.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said “As we move into the new year, I want to extend my sincere thanks to all our Team Heathrow colleagues and partners for their hard and successful work over the busy festive period, which went really well in terms of service and operations. By ending 2023 on a high, a strong foundation is laid for 2024 during which Heathrow will continue to grow and to facilitate the UK’s potential for global growth.”
