The Iran War Gutted Heathrow’s Middle East Traffic – Its Passenger Numbers Rose Anyway
Photo Credit: Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport. Heathrow Airport
Skift Take
Heathrow is one of the Iran war's accidental winners – but an airport running at full capacity can only absorb so much of the world's rerouted traffic.
Heathrow Airport posted year-on-year traffic growth in March despite enormous disruption from the Iran war.
Passenger numbers between the London hub and the Middle East fell by more than 50% last month, but this was offset by a surge in transit customers as airlines and travelers diverted around closed Gulf airspace.
Europe’s busiest airport handled 6.6 million passengers in March, with connecting passengers rising 10% as the conflict pushed demand onto long-haul routes through London.
As major Middle East airports such as Doha and Dubai operated well below capacity or closed completely, Heathrow's global network became a viable alternative for many passengers connecting between continents.
But the crisis also brought serious headaches for Heathrow. Skift analysis of Cirium Diio data makes the airport's exposure to the Middle East clear, with more than 1.5 million seats to the region in January. Emirates alone operates up to seven fl
