Today, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, unveiled a major growth plan for the UK, which includes her support for expanding Heathrow Airport and building a third runway.
What will this mean for LHR and why is it necessary to boost economic growth? We take a look at the key stats.
Using inbound + outbound flight data, here are some statistics from LHR’s busiest day for flight seat capacity in 2024, September 4th:
- 1,398 flights.
- 299,706 seats available.
- On average 74 flights per hour (based on operational hours, 4am-11pm).
- The busiest hour for arrivals was 09:00 with 45 scheduled, and departures was 19:00 with 48 departures.
Annual stats for LHR, based on 2024 full-year data:
- Busiest route: LHR to JFK | 4,011,235 seats.
- 2nd Busiest International Airport in the World | 48,358,450 seats (international capacity only, one-way).
- Busiest Airport in Europe | 51,553,190 seats (domestic + international capacity, one-way).
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Considering operational restrictions during early and late hours, it’s evident that most of the day operates at full capacity, leaving no room for additional movements. This lack of available capacity is a significant barrier to growth at Heathrow, the additional runway will enable the airport to expand its traffic further in the coming years.
London Heathrow, Scheduled Arrivals & Departures, 4th September 2024
