Heathrow Airport passenger numbers exceed pre-Covid levels

More than seven million people passed through the London airport in September, as it prepares for a change in leadership

Heathrow Airport saw a 22.4 per cent increase in passenger traffic in September when compared to the same month last year. EPA

More than 7 million passengers passed through London's Heathrow Airport in September, the first month since February 2020 to exceed 2019 traffic levels.

The figure was an increase of 22.4 per cent on September last year.

The month also saw 686,000 passengers from the Middle East travel through Heathrow, an increase of 11.4 per cent compared to September 2022.

Between January and September this year, 7.2 million passengers from the Asia-Pacific region used Heathrow, a 98 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.

Heathrow Airport chief executive, John Holland-Kaye will hand over the reins of running Heathrow to Thomas Woldbye next week. Reuters

'Solid legacy'

The September figures are the last under the leadership of John Holland-Kaye, who has been the chief executive at Heathrow for the past decade, overseeing the successful revamping of Terminal 2 and guiding the airport through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Holland-Kaye will hand over to Thomas Woldbye next week.

“It has been a privilege to lead the very talented team which in less than a decade transformed Heathrow into a hub airport that the whole nation can be proud of,” Mr Holland-Kaye said.

“We have built a solid legacy for my successor: Heathrow is now a customer service business with a clear path to net zero by 2050 and a plan to grow and to connect all of Britain to global growth.”

Mr Woldbye, who was the boss of Copenhagen Airport for 12 years, was confirmed as the successor to Mr Holland-Kaye in June.

Last month, Heathrow won third place in the Business Traveller 2023 awards for the best airport in the world. The magazine's readers also voted Heathrow as the best airport in Europe and the best airport for shopping.