Heathrow recorded rising passenger and cargo demand to North America in June as FIFA World Cup travel helped drive transatlantic growth.
Heathrow Airport (LHR) reported strong demand for North American travel in June, with the FIFA World Cup helping to boost passenger numbers and cargo volumes across the Atlantic while reinforcing the airport’s call for expansion.
A total of 1.97 million passengers travelled between Heathrow and North America during the month, representing a 1.2% increase compared with June 2025. Flight movements to the region also rose by 1%, reflecting growing demand as football supporters travelled to matches taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Overall, Heathrow welcomed 7.2 million passengers during June. Although this represented a 1.8% year-on-year decline, largely due to reduced traffic to the Middle East, passenger numbers for the first six months of 2026 reached almost 40 million, an increase of 0.2% compared with the same period last year.
Heathrow expansion seen as key to global connectivity
Heathrow said passengers travelling to World Cup host nations also benefited from the airport’s upgraded security screening process, with new scanners now operating across every terminal. The technology allows passengers to leave liquids and laptops inside their hand baggage while maintaining security waiting times of under five minutes.
Cargo performance also remained strong. Heathrow handled almost 135,000 tonnes of freight during June, an increase of 3.8% compared with the previous year. North American cargo volumes grew by 6.3%, while Asia-Pacific recorded the strongest regional growth, increasing by 11.7%.
Passenger demand also continued to strengthen across Asia-Pacific, where traveller numbers rose by 2.5% during June and by 7.9% across the first half of the year. Africa also recorded healthy growth, with passenger traffic increasing by 7.2% between January and June.
Traffic to the Middle East remained the airport’s weakest-performing market, with passenger numbers declining by 26.2% in June and 25.1% during the first half of the year following ongoing regional disruption.
Heathrow said the airport remains effectively full, limiting opportunities to introduce new routes and additional frequencies to high-growth markets.
Chief Executive Officer Thomas Woldbye said: “It’s been a strong end to the first half of 2026, despite the challenges presented by the situation in the Middle East. Sustained growth in North American and Asia-Pacific coupled with climbing cargo volumes demonstrates the strength of demand for global connectivity.”
He added: “As the Government looks for projects that can drive economic growth across the whole of the country, attract investment and create new jobs for young people, Heathrow’s privately funded expansion presents an open goal. A third runway will unlock new opportunities for businesses, exporters and communities in every region and nation of the country. It’s time to get this vital project off the bench and onto the pitch”.
The airport said expansion would allow additional routes to growing international markets while supporting trade, investment and long-term economic growth across the United Kingdom.
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