Heathrow has pledged that the “vast majority” of arriving passengers should be unaffected by Border Force strikes in the lead-up to Christmas.
The expectation from John Holland-Kaye came as the London hub reported that 5.6 million people used the airport last month, down from 5.9 million in October.
More than 55 million people have travelled through Heathrow this year, which is nearly 70% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
An airport statement said: “We expect December will be busy and are looking forward to welcoming people heading off for their first Christmas with loved ones in three years.
“New York’s JFK is set to reclaim the crown of most popular route this Christmas.
“The vast majority of travellers will be unaffected by Border Force strikes.
“We are doing everything we can to protect a full flight schedule on strike days, so departing passengers should expect to travel as normal.
“Arriving passengers with UK, EU, US, Canadian and some other passports will be able to use e-gates as usual and their journeys should be largely unaffected on strike days.
“Border Force has contingency measures to ensure other arriving passengers are cleared safely and as quickly as possible. We are continuing to support them to strengthen these plans so that as few people are impacted as possible.
“If passengers who cannot use e-gates are concerned about travelling during the strikes, their airline may be able to offer them alternative travel dates.
“The airport will be busy, especially during the peak getaway, and we will all be working hard to get passengers on their way.”
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We are ready to welcome millions of passengers heading off to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.
“We have extra people in the terminals on the busiest days, including me and my management team, to ensure we get people on their way as smoothly as possible and start to bring the joy back into travel.
“We are doing everything we can to protect full operating schedules on Border Force strike days and departing journeys and the vast majority of arriving journeys should be unaffected.”