Heathrow shattered records in June as it saw back-to-back days of more than 260,000 passengers a day and a record five days over 260,000 passengers.
A total of 7.4 million people used the London hub last month with the airport haviing its busiest day ever on June 30, handling more than 268,000 passengers.
The airport said that staff numbers were up to a record of more than 90,000, including specialist teams “tasked with supporting a smooth, successful summer”.
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Heathrow added: “The baggage resilience team will be deployed to ensure a robust baggage service and hundreds of ‘Heathrow helpers’ are stationed throughout the terminal to assist passengers at every step of their journey.
“To get passengers to their destination on time Heathrow, airlines and ground handlers have joined forces on the ‘on time together’ campaign, working together to maximise punctuality during our busiest summer ever.
The monthly performance details came as the Civil Aviation Authority published its decision on the changes it is making to the annual caps it applies to charges Heathrow levies on airlines for using the airport until the end of 2026.
The CAA said it had decided on changes to Heathrow’s airline charges in response to appeals to the Competition and Markets Authority in April 2023.
The aviation regulator said it had made a decision to address the CMA’s determination on appeals from Heathrow and airlines on proposed fees.
The CAA said the changes reflect:
- a smaller reduction in charges for the “over recovery” of revenue by Heathrow in 2020 and 2021;
- elimination of the premium that had been allowed on indexed linked debt in calculating Heathrow’s cost of capital; and
- changes to ensure that Heathrow’s charges reflect the costs of pension deficit repair payments and business rates.
The CAA’s final decision on the price cap in March 2023 estimated that charges would be capped at £25.24 per passenger in 2025 and £25.28 per passenger in 2026.
The changes will lead to Heathrow’s charges decreasing by around 6% or £1.52 in 2025 and £1.57 in 2026 and the price per passenger being capped at an estimated £23.73 in 2025 and £23.71 in 2026.
The CMA found last October that the authority had struck “broadly the right balance” between ensuring prices for passengers are not too high and encouraging investors to maintain and improve the airport over time.
It also determined that there were some smaller issues for the UK CAA to re-examine.
“This decision should allow Heathrow to reflect these matters in its 2025 charges consultation due later this summer and is consistent with the requirements of the CMA’s final determination,” the CAA added.
The airport’s chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “June has seen more Heathrow records shattered including serving more passengers in a single day than ever before.
“I want to thank all my colleagues who went the extra mile to make sure the 268,000 passengers travelling on the busiest day had a smooth, stress free journey. I am thrilled these efforts have been recognised by ACI Europe, highly commending Heathrow in the recent best airport awards.
“We have started summer as we mean to go on.”