Wednesday, August 28, 2024 London Heathrow saw a 11.2% passenger growth in June 2024 with 1.76M travelers, driven by JetBlue’s entry and major airline expansions, reports UK Civil Aviation Authority.
London Heathrow Airport has witnessed a remarkable surge in passenger traffic, with June 2024 data showing 1,762,564 roundtrip passengers traveling between the US and the UK. This equates to nearly 59,000 travelers daily, highlighting Heathrow’s role as a major international travel hub. The figures represent an impressive 11.
2% increase compared to June 2019, the pre-pandemic benchmark. This growth can be attributed to several key factors. The entry of JetBlue into the transatlantic market has added competitive pressure, encouraging more travel.
Additionally, major carriers such as American Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic have significantly expanded their operations, contributing to the higher passenger numbers. Despite this increase, airlines managed to fill 88.9% of available seats in June.
However, the overall load factor experienced a slight dip compared to pre-pandemic times, driven by capacity growth outstripping the increase in traffic. This trend may have led airlines to adjust by reducing fares and yields to attract more passengers and optimize seat occupancy. In June 2024, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic collectively operated flights to 31 US airports directly from the UK, a slight dec.