Business and traffic commentary Jun 2026

Heathrow

13 July 2026

 

Heathrow on the ball as World Cup excitement boosts North America travel

·    1.97 million passengers travelled through Heathrow to North America in June, as fans headed to the World Cup. The figure marks a second consecutive month of increased travel to the region, with flight numbers up and passenger numbers increasing by 1.2% year-on-year

·     The latter stages of the tournament are set to take place in the peak summer period. With transfer traffic growing by more than 3% and as the best-connected to hub to the US, Heathrow is perfectly placed to support fans of the remaining European teams make a last-minute dash across the pond to catch the tournament's climax

·     Passengers jetting off to the host nations can expect excellent service at Heathrow, with the new security scanners in use across every terminal, allowing liquids and laptops to be kept in bags, and keeping wait times consistently below five minutes

·    It wasn't just football fans heading across the Atlantic, trade with North America increased 6% year-on-year. Heathrow handled close to 135,000 tonnes of cargo in June, an increase of almost 4 percent. Last year, Heathrow handled nearly £300bn of British trade, cementing our position as the country's most valuable port

·   Overall, Heathrow welcomed 7.2 million passengers in June, down 1.8% year-on-year, due to the continued suppression of Middle Eastern traffic. Despite this, 40 million passengers travelled through Heathrow across the first half of the year, 0.2% higher than 2025, and Asia-Pacific became Heathrow's fastest-growing major market last month, with passengers up 2.5% and cargo volumes up 11.7%

·   Heathrow is effectively full, constraining opportunities to add new routes and frequencies to growing markets. Our privately funded expansion plans will unlock new connections and further strengthen trade. Crucially, expansion will help deliver economic growth across all corners of the UK, breathing new life into the country's supply chains and steel industry at no expense to the taxpayer

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:

"It's been a strong end to the first half of 2026, despite the challenges presented by the situation in the Middle East. Sustained growth in North American and Asia-Pacific coupled with climbing cargo volumes demonstrates the strength of demand for global connectivity.

"As the Government looks for projects that can drive economic growth across the whole of the country, attract investment and create new jobs for young people, Heathrow's privately funded expansion presents an open goal. A third runway will unlock new opportunities for businesses, exporters and communities in every region and nation of the country. It's time to get this vital project off the bench and onto the pitch."

June 2026
Terminal Passengers (000s)	Jun 2026	% Change	Jan to Jun 2026	% Change	Jul 2025 to Jun 2026	% Change
Market
UK	375	-0.7	2,206	0.3	4,596	-0.0
EU	2,607	-0.1	13,519	2.7	28,771	2.4
Non-EU Europe	468	0.1	2,737	2.5	5,623	1.1
Africa	258	-1.4	1,730	7.2	3,503	6.7
North America	1,965	1.2	9,804	1.6	20,709	0.5
Latin America	161	-1.9	1,090	-1.5	2,144	-3.6
Middle East	468	-26.2	3,077	-25.1	7,751	-10.2
Asia / Pacific	927	2.5	5,832	7.9	11,452	4.9
Total	7,227	-1.8	39,995	0.2	84,548	0.7
Air Transport Movements	Jun 2026	% Change	Jan to Jun 2026	% Change	Jul 2025 to Jun 2026	% Change
Market
UK	2,803	-3.4	18,339	-2.4	36,893	-2.8
EU	17,598	-2.6	100,054	-2.3	207,261	-0.4
Non-EU Europe	3,143	-1.4	19,875	-1.2	39,494	-1.8
Africa	1,176	3.8	7,802	3.8	15,449	3.3
North America	8,218	1.0	44,709	0.5	91,736	0.8
Latin America	661	0.6	4,439	-3.5	8,648	-5.4
Middle East	1,716	-28.9	11,928	-21.9	28,357	-8.7
Asia / Pacific	3,882	9.5	23,339	8.1	45,773	5.5
Total	39,197	-2.1	230,485	-1.8	473,611	-0.5
Cargo (incl. Mail, Charter & Positioning flights) (Metric Tonnes)	Jun 2026	% Change	Jan to Jun 2026	% Change	Jul 2025 to Jun 2026	% Change
Market
UK	8	-65.4	187	-34.6	589	17.5
EU	5,802	3.7	37,036	2.4	74,562	-1.3
Non-EU Europe	3,424	-5.9	16,985	-11.1	37,298	-5.1
Africa	8,192	14.2	47,960	3.7	96,838	-1.2
North America	54,284	6.3	330,546	1.7	659,323	0.2
Latin America	4,361	-11.9	25,953	-9.1	54,202	-6.0
Middle East	18,068	-13.7	105,552	-15.0	237,384	-8.7
Asia / Pacific	39,435	11.7	224,373	10.0	437,905	7.0
Total	133,574	3.8	788,593	0.7	1,598,101	-0.0

 

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