Business and traffic commentary Nov 2025

Heathrow

11 December 2025

 

More families than ever expected to reunite as Heathrow prepares for busiest Christmas on record

·    Heathrow welcomed more than 6.6 million passengers last month - its busiest November on record. In November, six more routes passed the one million passenger mark for 2025 (Mumbai, Lisbon, Abu Dhabi, Zurich, Singapore and Boston)

·    Heathrow is expecting its busiest December and Christmas Day ever as the world's most connected airport helps reunite more families than ever before this festive period

·    Passengers can travel with confidence this Christmas with a record number of colleagues and one million litres of de-icing products for runways, taxiways and stands on hand to keep planes on the move

·    Heathrow remains Europe's most punctual hub, with 96% of passengers waiting less than five minutes for security and 96% rating their airport experience as good or excellent so far this year

·    The festive spirit can be felt across all terminals throughout December. Team GB athlete Ellie Kildunne, who led the England rugby team to World Cup victory this Autumn, becomes first to take on the new role as the voice of the airport. Ellie will be providing special merry shout-outs and heartfelt holiday messages to passengers over the loudspeakers

·    Passengers are making the most of Heathrow's award-winning retail to get last minute Christmas gifts with a bottle of Scottish whisky being sold every 28 seconds on average

·    During the Christmas holidays (19 December - 5 January 2026) families can enjoy the popular Kids Eat Free offer at participating restaurants. There will also be visits from Santa and a complimentary gift-wrapping service available across the airport. Trees, festive wreaths, fairy lights and icicles will adorn all terminals with performances from carol singers The Jingle Belles

·    The Government has selected Heathrow's third runway plan as the best way to expand the UK's gateway to growth. A definitive decision from the CAA on regulating the next phase is needed as soon as possible to avoid delaying this vital project

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: 

"We are fully prepared to deliver an exceptional Christmas experience, ensuring passengers enjoy the festive atmosphere across our terminals.  

"Millions of passengers have enjoyed exceptional levels of service across the airport this year and those travelling through Heathrow this December can look forward to the best possible start to their journeys this holiday season." 

	Traffic Summary
	November 2025
	Terminal Passengers (000s)	Nov 2025	% Change	Jan to Nov 2025	% Change	Dec 2024 to Nov 2025	% Change
	Market
	UK	405	-1.6	4,191	-1.7	4,592	-0.7
	EU	2,163	2.3	26,122	0.9	28,351	1.3
	Non-EU Europe	422	2.5	5,054	-2.2	5,537	-2.1
	Africa	297	7.1	3,070	1.6	3,367	1.1
	North America	1,481	-0.1	18,899	-0.1	20,600	0.3
	Latin America	176	-11.4	1,969	-1.0	2,180	0.2
	Middle East	782	7.7	7,914	2.2	8,716	2.7
	Asia / Pacific	908	3.4	10,056	2.7	11,007	3.0
	Total	6,634	2.1	77,274	0.6	84,349	1.0
	Air Transport Movements	Nov 2025	% Change	Jan to Nov 2025	% Change	Dec 2024 to Nov 2025	% Change
	Market
	UK	3,329	-5.0	34,046	0.7	37,393	2.2
	EU	16,435	0.6	192,790	1.4	209,086	1.6
	Non-EU Europe	3,307	5.5	36,196	-4.4	39,590	-4.5
	Africa	1,383	4.9	13,735	0.8	15,099	0.7
	North America	6,841	-0.3	84,478	0.7	91,581	0.4
	Latin America	711	-13.3	8,000	-3.2	8,882	-2.0
	Middle East	2,945	15.4	28,636	2.2	31,374	2.8
	Asia / Pacific	3,784	6.5	40,099	1.5	43,829	1.4
	Total	38,735	1.7	437,980	0.7	476,834	0.8
	Cargo (Metric Tonnes)	Nov 2025	% Change	Jan to Nov 2025	% Change	Dec 2024 to Nov 2025	% Change
	Market
	UK	80	118.0	632	32.1	684	38.4
	EU	7,222	-4.7	67,273	-14.7	73,967	-15.7
	Non-EU Europe	2,761	-21.6	36,798	-0.9	39,888	-1.5
	Africa	8,774	-8.4	86,426	-1.1	95,281	-0.1
	North America	57,200	-2.1	596,329	4.8	651,979	5.1
	Latin America	4,657	-11.5	52,097	3.0	57,185	3.7
	Middle East	23,744	-3.6	233,850	-4.6	257,648	-4.3
	Asia / Pacific	37,953	9.6	381,215	2.1	415,968	2.3
	Total	142,390	-0.9	1,454,620	0.9	1,592,599	1.1

 

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