Heathrow records 22% jump in passenger numbers
Some 7.7 million passengers travelled through the west London airport in July.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Heathrow said 7.7 million passengers travelled through the airport in July, demonstrating the resurgence in foreign travel.
That is up 22% on the total of 6.3 million during the same month last year and is just 1% below the figure of 7.8 million recorded in July 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.
The year-on-year surge in passenger numbers last month was driven by fights to and from Asia (up 129%) and North America (up 77%).
It's great to see so many passengers getting away
Travel to those regions was limited a year earlier, partly because their pandemic restrictions lasted longer than in some other parts of the world.
July was Heathrow’s busiest ever month for flights to Turkey, with more than 73,000 people flying to the country.
It also saw near-record levels of departures to Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar.
The west London airport reported a “strong start to the summer season for passenger service”, with security queues “consistently under five minutes”.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “It’s great to see so many passengers getting away to grab some summer sun.
“We’ve got a great range of popular destinations and our teams are delivering excellent service which will ensure your travels get off to the best start.”