Passenger levels at London- Heathrow Airport (LHR) are back to their highest levels since COVID-19 crippled the travel industry at the beginning of 2020.
According to the airport more than 5.4 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in January 2023, making it the busiest start for three years.
In other good news for Heathrow, customer satisfaction is now at or above pre-pandemic levels with 98% of passengers waiting less than 10 minutes for security.
“Heathrow is back to its best, with passenger satisfaction scores meeting or exceeding 2019 levels. We are giving a warm welcome to families over the half term getaway by delivering excellent service and bringing back the magic of travel,” said CEO of Heathrow Airport John Holland-Kaye.
The announcement from Heathrow suggests the recent strikes by Border Force did not have as significant effect on passengers as first feared.
However, further strike action will start between February 17 and 20, 2023, with the Home Office training military personnel, civil servants and volunteers from across government in preparation.
Heathrow also announced Border Force were trialling the use of eGates for children aged 10 and 11 in Terminal 5 over half term.
The airport also welcomed the decision by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic on restarting ticket sales to China, reopening a key market for British exports once more.