UK’s hub flying high with record passenger numbers: 2025 was Heathrow’s busiest year to date, with colleagues welcoming over 84.5 million passengers, securing our position as Europe’s busiest hub airport. Further incremental growth is forecast for 2026, with the airport on track for an uplift to 85 million passengers. Demand continues to outpace the limits of the airport’s current infrastructure reinforcing the need for expansion.
Operational performance outpaces European competitors: Heathrow was crowned the most punctual hub in Europe in 2025, consistently outperforming all major hub airports. Over 4.2 million more passengers flew on time compared with 2024 and baggage and security performance continued to strengthen. 97.3% of passengers waited less than five minutes for security and baggage load rates were close to 99% resulting in smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers.
Investment unlocked for 2026: £1.3 billion will be spent over the coming year in capital investment programmes. This will kickstart work to revamp Terminal 4 (‘T4’), progress with the new baggage system design for Terminal 2 (‘T2’) and drive improvements to services for passengers with accessibility needs, all of which will contribute towards making Heathrow more user-friendly and resilient for our customers. (....)