Heathrow airport sees record high annual passenger numbers

The annual update comes as Heathrow -- Europe's busiest airport by passenger numbers in 2024 -- starts work on a new runway to "unlock even more of that connectivity, trade and economic growth for the UK", the airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye said in a statement. Istanbul airport last week disclosed that it welcomed 84.4 million passengers in 2025, just below Heathrow's figure of 84.5 million. Heathrow said almost 7.2 million passengers travelled through the hub last month, its highest number on record for the month of December.