Business and traffic commentary Mar 2026

Heathrow supports airlines and passengers through Middle East disruption

· Heathrow is supporting airlines and passengers as they adapt to airspace closures across the Middle East, including a 10% spike in transfer passengers. While Heathrow has temporarily absorbed demand from elsewhere, its growth remains slower than EU competitors as runway slots are full. 

· Heathrow saw year on year growth last month despite continuing disruption, with 6.6m passengers, as demand shifted across Heathrow's long-haul network. The outlook for the next few months is uncertain, due to the ongoing conflict. 

· The knock-on impacts to global supply chains, including fuel, have not affected airport operations. Heathrow will monitor the situation and liaise with Government and airlines to protect passengers' journeys. 

· Despite today's headwinds, passengers continue to get great service. March's Skytrax awards saw passengers vote Heathrow as best in the world for shopping, 3rd best for security screening and rise five places to be ranked as one of world's best airports overall. 

· Wednesday 25 March was the 80th anniversary of the first flight from Heathrow, when Starlight took off for Buenos Aires. Since then, it has welcomed more than 2.9 billion passengers, underpinned British exports including nearly £300bn of trade last year alone and been focal a point for moments in British history, from the Royals to sporting heroes and immortalised in film and TV. 

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:

"We're doing everything we can to support airlines and passengers as travel trends shift during the Middle East crisis. While Heathrow's long-haul network absorbed demand in March, the outlook for the next few months remains uncertain. I'm proud of what colleagues have achieved to quickly adapt and continue giving passengers a great service during difficult times."