Passenger numbers at London’s Heathrow Airport trebled to 62 million in 2022 as borders reopened in March after two years of pandemic-related closures.
The airport said that this rapid growth was “challenging operationally” but it was successful in getting as many people on their way as possible by keeping supply and demand in balance.
To help ease backlogs and prevent cancellations, Heathrow imposed a cap on passenger numbers last summer which limited its capacity to 100,000 passengers per day.
Passenger numbers for the year were still 25% down on the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
More than 25,000 people have started work at Heathrow in the last 18 months and staffing levels are now close to pre-pandemic levels.
The UK’s largest airport continued to be loss making in 2022, with profitability impacted by high inflation as well as passenger numbers and regulated charges remaining lower than before Covid.
However, its annual loss almost halved. The airport reported an adjusted loss before tax of £684m compared with a loss of £1.27bn in 2021.
Revenue climbed 140% to £2.9bn from £1.2bn in the prior year.
“2022 may have been a year of recovery, but 2023 is shaping up to be a year of renewal for Heathrow,” said John Holland-Kaye, the outgoing chief executive of Heathrow. “Our teams have already delivered a successful Christmas and half-term getaway, and with a great investment plan in place, we are determined to once again rank in the top 10 airports for service.”
