Heathrow Airport records busiest start of year since before pandemic

Heathrow Airport is “back to its best” having recorded the busiest start of the year since before the pandemic, its boss John Holland-Kaye has said.

The UK’s busiest airport revealed more than 5.4m passengers travelled through Heathrow in January, reaching levels not seen since the start of 2020. It comes as UK airports were hit with severe disruption in the run up to Christmas with Border Force staff staging strike action in December.

But Heathrow said on Monday that it had “successfully managed” the strike action, having previously made assurances that it was operating normally with minimal queuing in immigration halls throughout the strike days.

It reiterated plans for eGates for children aged 10 and 11 to be trialled in Terminal 5 over half term, which it said helps bring about “smooth and seamless journeys”.

Its overall passenger satisfaction scores are now at or above pre-pandemic levels, the airport also announced. In January, 97 per cent of passengers waited less that 10 minutes for security, it said.

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