Heathrow has experienced its busiest ever day for passengers numbers.
The airport said 268,000 passengers travelled through its terminals on June 30.
It recorded a daily total in excess of 260,000 passengers five times during the month, including on consecutive days on June 23 and 24.
Across the month as a whole, the airport saw 7.4 million passengers, up 5.6% from 7.0 million during the same month last year.
Heathrow said it has more than 90,000 staff working at the airport – more than ever before – including a ‘baggage resilience team’ and hundreds of ‘helpers’ to assist passengers.
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA’s British Airways suffered a technical fault that disrupted its baggage system at Heathrow on June 25.
This meant many travellers on departing flights did not have their checked-in luggage put on the plane, while some of those on arriving flights faced long delays to retrieve their baggage.
Heathrow Chief Executive Thomas Woldbye said: ‘June has seen more Heathrow records shattered including serving more passengers in a single day than ever before.
‘I want to thank all my colleagues who went the extra mile to make sure the 268,000 passengers travelling on the busiest day had a smooth, stress-free journey.’
He added: ‘We have started summer as we mean to go on.’
Meanwhile, a regulator has reduced the amount Heathrow can charge airlines for using the airport until the end of 2026.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it has decreased the cap in fees from previously announced figures by £1.52 to £23.73 per passenger next year and by £1.57 to £23.71 per passenger in 2026.
It did this in response to a determination by competition regulator the Competition & Markets Authority that took into account appeals from the airport and airlines British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic.
The CAA said the price reductions reflect changes in Heathrow’s debt calculation, the cost of the airport’s pension payments and business rates, and its recovery of revenues lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Charges are paid by airlines but are generally passed on to passengers in air fares.
By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent
Press Association: Finance
source: PA
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