11 March 2024 , 08:50
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Heathrow Airport has reported its busiest February ever for passenger numbers, with demand for air travel surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
The west London airport welcomed 5.8 million people through its terminals last month. This is the highest number of passengers in February, even without counting the extra day due to it being a leap year. Last year, during the same month, the airport recorded 5.2 million passengers, and 5.5 million in February 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.
Over two million passengers travelled through Heathrow during the February half-term school holiday, with holidays to sunny destinations proving more popular than ski trips. However, Heathrow's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, warned that the Treasury's decision not to reintroduce tax-free shopping for tourists buying goods in the UK was a "missed opportunity".
He said: "It was wonderful to welcome so many passengers for the first holiday peak of 2024, setting a new Heathrow record. While we are serving more people, visitors to the UK are spending less since the removal of tax-free shopping, impacting businesses across the country."
"The spring Budget was a missed opportunity to give the whole tourism, hospitality and retail sector the support it needs to compete internationally."
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