Heathrow passenger numbers fall after power outage closure
Heathrow Airport reported a decline in traffic in March as passenger numbers were impacted by the power outage that resulted in a 10-hour shutdown.
Some 6.2m passengers flew from the UK’s busiest airport last month, down 7.5 per cent year-on-year.
An investigation has been launched into the March closure, which was caused after a fire engulfed a high-voltage substation run by National Grid and SSEN.
The incident caused chaos for more than 300,000 passengers and has led experts to warn of vulnerabilities in the UK’s critical infrastructure.
Heathrow said traffic had also been impacted by a later Easter this year and the timing of Ramadan.
It added it was still on course for a second consecutive record breaking year in 2025, with travel demand generally booming across Europe.
“It’s great to see strong demand to travel through Heathrow. Whilst passenger numbers were slightly down due to changing holidays this year, belly hold cargo on passenger flights was a bright spot growing 4 per cent and underlining the importance of Heathrow as the UK’s gateway to growth,” Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow chief executive, said.
“We are still on track to see another record year in 2025 and colleagues are working hard preparing for a busy Easter and May Bank Holiday getaway.”
Yearly traffic to March totalled 18.2m, down 1.5 per cent. Heathrow said it expects passenger demand to increase over the next few months during the Easter period, as it prepares for the lucrative summer period.
The airport also said it handled over 144,000 tonnes of cargo last month, with projections showing Mother’s Day flowers to be particularly popular.