Heathrow Airport Passenger Growth Levels Off

Heathrow Airport has warned that passenger growth may be levelling off, with recovery stabilising at 93-95% of 2019 levels.

The airport processed 6.4 million passengers through April, representing 94% of the traveller levels of four years earlier. This compares to 94.8% in February and 95.4% in March.

In contrast to performance problems seen last summer, over 90% of recent passenger arrivals passed through security within 10 minutes.

However, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye warned that the recovery in passenger numbers may be slowing.

"There are early indications that passenger growth may be levelling off," he said. "We are continuing to work closely with our airline partners to ensure that we are ready for the peak summer season."

The cautioning about passenger demand stands stark contrast with recent statements from airlines, who are seeing strong sales ahead of what is expected to be an extremely busy summer.

IAG, the largest airline group customer at Heathrow mainly through its British Airways unit, said last week that it had concerns that low staffing levels at Heathrow could cause a return of problems in peak-season flying.

"We are worried about the forecast for number of passengers in Heathrow because of the plans we have, we are worried that we are going to have more passengers than they think," chief executive Luis Gallego said during the company’s first quarter results call earlier this month.

Heathrow was required to bring in daily passenger caps last year as service levels deteriorated during the summer.

The airport is currently undergoing a £1.3 billion investment programme to improve its infrastructure, including a new terminal and a new runway.

The new terminal is due to open in 2025, while the new runway is due to open in 2029.

The investment programme is expected to create around 22,000 jobs.