Heathrow toasted its busiest Christmas since 2019 as travellers returned to the skies to get home for the holiday.

The London airport saw a 90 per cent spike in passengers compared to 2021 levels, with 5.9m people passing through in December.

Transatlantic travel was a key driver, with New York’s JFK airport the busiest route.

Recovery: Heathrow London airport saw a 90% spike in passengers compared to 2021 levels, with 5.9m people passing through in December

Recovery: Heathrow London airport saw a 90% spike in passengers compared to 2021 levels, with 5.9m people passing through in December

Recovery: Heathrow London airport saw a 90% spike in passengers compared to 2021 levels, with 5.9m people passing through in December

Britain’s biggest airport said travellers reported a ‘friendly and efficient journey through immigration’ as armed forces and volunteer civil servants stepped up during an eight-day strike by Border Force officers.

It said 92 per cent of passengers passed through security in under 10 minutes during the Christmas peak. 

The airport said 61.6m passengers flew during 2022, up 42.2m on the year before.

But it warned it could be set back by the reintroduction of testing for travellers in the UK and beyond following Covid spikes in China.

#fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle#mobile {display:none} #fiveDealsWidget {display:block; float:left; clear:both; max-width:636px; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; font-size:12px} #fiveDealsWidget div, #fiveDealsWidget a {margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif} #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitleBox {display:block; float:left; width:100%; background-color:#af1e1e; } #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitle {color:#fff; text-transform: uppercase; font-size:18px; font-weight:bold; margin:6px 10px 4px 10px; } #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {float:left; display:block; width:124px; margin-right:4px; margin-top:5px; background-color: #e3e3e3; min-height:200px;} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {margin-right:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {display:block; margin:10px 5px; color:#000; font-weight:bold} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {float:left; display:block; margin:0; padding:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {border:1px solid #ccc} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {width:100%; height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemdesc {float:left; display:block; color:#004db3; font-weight:bold; margin:5px;} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemRate {float:left; display:block; color:#000; margin:5px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealFooter {display:block; float:left; width:100%; margin-top:5px; background-color:#e3e3e3 } #fiveDealsWidget .footerText {font-size:10px; margin:10px 10px 10px 10px;} @media (max-width: 635px) { #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {width:19%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:20%} } @media (max-width: 560px) { #fiveDealsWidget #desktop {display:none;} #fiveDealsWidget #mobile {display:block!important} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {background-color: #fff; height:auto; min-height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {border-bottom:1px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:10px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {border-bottom:0px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:0px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem, #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:100%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {float:left; display:inline-block} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {width:35%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent {width:63%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {margin: 0px 5px 5px; font-size:16px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemdesc, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemRate {clear:both} }

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Who owns Lilt and why is it being discontinued?

LILT lovers will be disappointed to discover that after 50 years the…

BUSINESS LIVE: Dr Martens profit warning; Deliveroo nears breakeven

The FTSE 100 will open at 8am. Among the companies with reports…

Shop prices soar at fastest rate in a decade as cost of living crisis bites

PRICES in UK shops rose by the fastest rate in more than…

Five mind tricks to make you a better investor

Mind over matter: Practical steps are only one part of the battle…