With 7m passengers, London Heathrow Airport sees busiest December ever

• Ends 2024 with record 83.9m passengers

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has reported its busiest-ever December, with London’s primary airport ending 2024 with a record-breaking 83.9 million passengers, per this report by Simple Flying.

Record-breaking year-end

On January 13, the airport announced that over seven million passengers travelled through the airport in December, making it the busiest December ever. As a result, London Heathrow welcomed 83.9 million travellers in 2024, three million more than in 2019.

The airport also highlighted that on Christmas Day, December 25, typically one of the quietest days for travel, it welcomed 160,000 passengers, 13 percent more year-on-year (YoY).

Thomas Woldbye, the chief executive officer of Heathrow Airport, said 2024 was an exciting year for the airport. Woldbye joined the airport as the CEO in October 2023 after previously spending more than 12 years as the chief executive of Copenhagen Airport (CPH).

“In 2025, our journey towards better value for our customers will continue by investing in the kind of facilities our passengers and airlines are looking for. We aim to become more innovative to ensure that our airport delivers for the whole of the UK.”

Most popular destinations

London Heathrow noted that New York, Los Angeles, Dublin, and Madrid were some of the most popular destinations in 2024, “as the airport maintained the status of the most connected airport in the world.”

Dublin Airport (DUB) and Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) are home to Aer Lingus and Iberia, respectively, which, including Heathrow-based British Airways, are part of the International Airlines Group ( IAG ).

Meanwhile, in December, the travel data company OAG unveiled that the route between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Heathrow was the tenth-busiest in 2024. Throughout the year, airlines scheduled over four million seats for passengers wanting to fly from New York to London.

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning system showed that there were 1.1 million seats between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and London-Heathrow, resulting in over 5.1 million seats between the two airports in New York and Heathrow. This does not include London Gatwick Airport (LGW), which also has a few flights across the Atlantic.

Nevertheless, in comparison, the busiest international route in 2024 had 6.7 million seats, connecting Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).

Even more passengers in 2025

Out of the eight markets whose data Heathrow Airport published, only one, Africa, had a worse 2024 than 2023. The remaining markets, including UK domestic, grew YoY, with the airport’s overall passenger growth being 5.9 percent YoY.

20.6 million passengers boarded flights from/to North America in 2024, or 3.3 percent more than in 2023. The number increased despite the fact that air transport movements in that market decreased by 0.2 percent.

However, the European Union (EU) remained Heathrow Airport’s largest market in 2024, with 28.1 million passengers boarding flights from/to during the year. Non-EU Europe saw a further 5.6 million travellers, an increase of 7.4 percent and 6.1 percent YoY.

Looking forward, Heathrow anticipates welcoming 84.2 million passengers in 2025, with “grey Mondays encouraging holiday bookings,” according to the airport’s statement.