London Heathrow Witnesses Unprecedented February Traffic Surge with Asia-Pacific Recovery

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has recorded its busiest February ever, with passenger numbers exceeding previous years’ figures across most regions, highlighting a robust recovery, especially in Asia-Pacific flights. Last month, the airport saw 5.8 million travelers pass through its terminals, marking an 11% increase over the same period last year. This growth comes even without accounting for the leap year’s additional day, which brought in 207,000 passengers.

The uplift in traffic is most notable in flights to and from the Asia-Pacific region, which experienced a significant 23.8% year-over-year increase as countries relaxed pandemic-related travel restrictions. The Middle East also saw a substantial rise in traffic by 15%, while European Union destinations enjoyed a 9.9% boost. Transatlantic flights to North America and domestic UK travel weren’t far behind, with increases of 7.6% and 11.5%, respectively. Additionally, non-EU Europe and Latin America traffic rose by 14.3% and 3.3%, although Africa’s passenger numbers remained consistent with the previous year.

The EU and North America continue to be Heathrow’s largest international markets in February, with 1.9 million and 1.1 million passengers, respectively. Alongside passenger growth, LHR’s cargo traffic in February surged by 21.6% year-over-year, totaling 127,990 metric tons. This growth was led by a 45.5% jump in Asia-Pacific cargo traffic and a 27.9% increase from the Middle East, with all regions reporting rises in cargo volumes.

Africa and Latin America also posted notable gains in cargo traffic, with increases of 22.1% and 21.1%, respectively. Despite North America remaining Heathrow’s most significant cargo market with 47,864 metric tons transported, it registered the smallest year-over-year growth at 7.6%.

This traffic increase across the board at London Heathrow not only signifies a strong rebound in international travel but also positions the airport for continued growth as global travel markets recover.