Chicago joins London Heathrow's 'Millionaire Club' amid record-breaking passenger numbers

Heathrow's overall passenger numbers for November reached 6.501 million—a 6.1% increase compared to the same month last year. The total number of passengers from January to November was 76.785 million, reflecting a similar growth rate of 6%. Over a rolling 12-month period ending in November 2024, Heathrow handled 83.484 million passengers—a rise of 6.5% compared to the previous year.

Cargo tonnage also saw an increase of 5.4% in November due to "greater belly hold cargo capacity on passenger aircraft," according to Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye. He stated: "This year has been all about providing high levels of service for record amounts of passengers at Heathrow."

Looking ahead to December, Heathrow anticipates it will be its busiest December ever with a notable rise in Christmas Day travel—projected at a 21% increase from last year despite only an 8.5% rise in seat capacity.

In preparation for the holiday season, Heathrow has introduced festive initiatives such as "seasonal crafts with Christmas Fairies" and opportunities for travelers to meet Santa Claus or take photos with Bjorn the polar bear.