Heathrow records busiest January with 5% rise in passenger numbers

Heathrow airport said it has recorded the busiest January in its history.

More than 6.3 million passengers travelled through the west London airport’s four terminals last month.

That is up more than 5% from 6.0 million in January 2024.

The airport said transatlantic travel was a “key contributor” to the growth.

More than 1.2 million passengers travelled between Heathrow and the US in January, up 8% compared with a year earlier.

In the wake of Chancellor Rachel Reeves giving her support for a third runway, Heathrow said in a statement the project would require policy changes including on airspace modernisation, planning and the regulatory regime.

The statement added that Heathrow is “working with our stakeholders to finalise our plans” and intends to “submit our proposal to Government by the summer”.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “2025 has started how we mean to go on – serving record-breaking passenger numbers and delivering trade and investment across the whole of the UK.

“To ensure we continue on this upwards trajectory, the Government has signalled their support for an expanded Heathrow.

“We’ll now work with ministers to progress the necessary policy changes required to advance our growth plans.”