Heathrow Airport is preparing for its busiest festive season for three years and will not limit the number of passengers who can use it. Heathrow imposed a capacity cap in the peak summer months, but has announced that no such limit will be imposed at Christmas.
Airport managers say they have worked with airlines and ground handlers ahead of the Christmas peak and have a good plan in place. The west London airport dealt with 5.9 million passengers in October, which is 84% of 2019 levels, and a total of 50 million passengers so far this year, which is 74% of 2019 levels.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We have come so far since Omicron grounded Christmas travel plans last year.
Heathrow, our airline partners and their handlers are all working together to make sure everyone can be reunited with their loved ones this Christmas.”
However, passengers are being warned there is a threat of strikes at a number of organisations, including action from the national Border Force, which could hamper travel plans. Heathrow said it is working with organisations on contingency plans to minimise any impact and is encouraging all parties to put the interests of passengers first.
This comes as the airport has been boosted by a buoyant leisure market thanks to school half-term getaways and the gradual return of business travellers. It also expects a strong recovery in business with the Middle East and Central Asia, which was seen in October, to continue into November.
Heathrow says its increase in passenger numbers this year is higher than at any other airport in Europe. A year ago, Heathrow blamed the UK’s comparatively strict coronavirus travel rules for it being just the 10th busiest airport in Europe, after being number one in the ranking in 2019.
It said that companies across Heathrow have recruited and trained around 16,000 people over the past 12 months, which is keeping capacity and demand in balance. Officials believe that at current rates of recruitment, the airport could be on track to get back to pre-pandemic employment levels before the peak summer holiday period in 2023.
