Normal service is resumed – London Heathrow restored as world’s premier international airport

When Dubai took over from London Heathrow as the world’s premier international airport in 2014 it seemed to signify a significant shift in pre-eminence in the air transport industry as a whole.

But events have a habit of influencing such calculations and the COVID-19 pandemic has done that, with US airports occupying the top seven positions as measured by passenger numbers in 2021 and China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International being the busiest airport in the world the previous year.

As a degree of normality has returned over the last three months or so Heathrow has reoccupied that #1 position, with Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris CDG airports not far behind.

Tourism, leisure demand generally and plenty of low cost capacity (all too often on flights that are being cancelled on account of insufficient supply) is driving demand, and the head of one influential industry body is saying that the recovery should be complete by 2024.