London, United Kingdom. Heathrow Airport welcomed a record 40 million passengers in the first half of 2026, despite geopolitical uncertainty affecting parts of its global network. Growth in North American and Asia-Pacific travel helped offset softer demand for Middle East routes.
Passenger and cargo growth
Heathrow said passenger traffic to North America rose 1.6%, while travel to the Asia-Pacific region increased 7.9%. Transfer passenger numbers grew 5.4%.
Cargo volumes through Heathrow, described by the airport as the United Kingdom’s largest port by value, increased by almost 1%.
Operational performance
The airport said it retained its position as Europe’s most punctual hub airport, with more flights departing on time than any other major European hub.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said the results demonstrated the resilience of major international hub airports.
“Despite geopolitical headwinds, 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,” Woldbye said.
“I’m proud of the work colleagues have done to achieve this in the face of these challenges,” he added.
Customer experience and security
Heathrow said passengers ranked it among the world’s best airports, and the airport received the top award for airport shopping in the annual Skytrax awards.
The airport said it continued investing in customer experience and infrastructure during the period. It became the first major international hub airport to complete installation of next-generation security scanners, allowing passengers to leave liquids and laptops in their bags during screening.
