London Heathrow replaced as Europe's busiest airport by Istanbul

An expansion proposal by the airport's owners would enable it to accommodate 150m passengers per year. Heathrow said "the case for expansion has never been clearer".

In a statement, it added: "Our plans will ensure the country gets the infrastructure it needs to stay competitive and will deliver all-important economic growth."

The airport recorded 84.46 million passengers in 2025 and said 19 July was its busiest day of the year so far as many schools broke up for summer, with 267,000 passengers passing through.

It added that several new airlines began serving the airport last month, which demonstrates "clear demand for access to Heathrow".

Last month, it was revealed Heathrow will be allowed to charge airlines more for its services to recover money spent on the early stages of its third runway project.

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Reporting from BBC News contributed to this story.