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.

The airport in August unveiled a £49-billion ($66-billion) expansion plan, including the cost of building a long-awaited third runway, approved by the UK government after years of legal wrangling.

The works will increase capacity to up to 150 million passengers per year, according to Heathrow.

It would be a rare expansion in Europe, where countries are split between efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the needs of a strategic sector that has seen demand soar since the Covid-era lockdowns.

The runway would cost £21 billion, with flights expected to take off within a decade, while the rest of the privately-funded investment will go toward expanding and modernising the airport.