Heathrow Welcomes Record 40M Passengers.
Despite geopolitical challenges, Heathrow Airport handled a record 40 million passengers in the first half of 2026, demonstrating robust demand and solidifying its standing as one of the top international hub airports in the world.
Key long-haul markets continued to grow, with North America seeing a 1.6% increase and Asia-Pacific seeing a 7.9% increase in passenger traffic. Despite a decline in demand to the Middle East, the airport still reported a 5.4% gain in transfer passengers and a nearly 1% increase in cargo volumes.
Heathrow was named one of the world’s top airports at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, where it also won the top Airport Shopping title, and it continued to be Europe’s most punctual hub airport.
Heathrow became the first global hub airport to fully implement next-generation security scanners, enabling travellers to keep liquids and laptops inside their bags throughout screening, as part of the airport’s ongoing investment in the customer experience. The airport completed a £1 billion security upgrading initiative. Additionally, construction has started on a new Terminal 4 entry that will feature a larger multi-story parking lot, better road access, and an updated check-in facility. To increase operational resilience, Terminal 2’s baggage handling system has also undergone upgrades.
Heathrow recorded £1.729 billion in revenue for the six months that ended on June 30, 2026, an increase of 0.3% over the previous year. Higher government taxes and investments in new technology were the main causes of the 6.4% increase in adjusted operating costs to £814 million. The airport maintained excellent liquidity of £3.8 billion, although adjusted EBITDA fell 4.6% to £915 million. Dividends of £200 million were paid to shareholders throughout that time.
Additionally, Heathrow affirmed that expansion plans are still on schedule. The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, which names the airport as Critical National Growth Infrastructure, is presently being reviewed by the UK government. The airport claims that the privately funded expansion, which includes a third runway, will boost trade via Heathrow by 50%, generate £40 billion in economic growth, and create 60,000 jobs.
Heathrow Airport CEO Thomas Woldbye commented on the results, saying, “We welcomed a record 40 million passengers in the first half of the year while delivering strong customer service, culminating in passengers ranking Heathrow as one of the best airports in the world despite geopolitical headwinds.” Despite these obstacles, I’m proud of the work my coworkers have done to accomplish this.
“Our plan for the future is about much more than just building a third runway; this project is a real opportunity to provide an economic boost to every region and nation of the country. In addition to reviving the UK’s steel industry and generating tens of thousands of new jobs and skilled apprenticeships nationwide, it will support British industry by injecting billions of pounds in private investment into our supply chain. Significant additional capacity will be made available, creating new domestic and international lines, lowering the cost of travel for travellers, and boosting British trade with international markets by £150 billion. These advantages haven’t been realised for far too long due to disagreement and uncertainty. We’ll be collaborating with the new government over the coming weeks to ensure that we can provide these advantages to workers and communities across,” he continued.
