Heathrow sees passenger dip amid Iran conflict

Heathrow's passenger numbers dipped by 5.3% last month, with the airport's chief executive citing the conflict in the Middle East as the main reason.

The west London airport said about 6.7 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in April, compared with 7.1 million during the same month last year.

Heathrow said the decline reflected "the ongoing impact of the Middle East conflict on some markets and short‑term adjustments to travel plans".

The airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: "While we have seen some short‑term disruption linked to the Middle East conflict, demand for travel remains strong with current fuel supplies stable."

The airport says "underlying demand remains resilient", pointing to a 10% year‑on‑year rise in transfer passengers in April.

It said this was driven by more travellers flying into Heathrow and then connecting onwards to destinations in Asia and Oceania.

About half a million passengers a day typically pass through major hub airports in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, which act as key connecting points between Europe, Asia and Australia.

However, many travellers are now avoiding the region because of the conflict.

The airport previously explained this was because it had "temporarily absorbed demand from elsewhere".

Heathrow is set to update its 2026 passenger forecast in June.

Woldbye added: "We know passengers want certainty when planning their hard‑earned summer holidays, so we are supporting government and airlines as they work through their plans to get passengers on their journeys."