The boss of Heathrow has declared the airport 'back to its best' after a difficult few years, despite looming strike action.
More than 5.4 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in January, the busiest start of the year since 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic threw the industry into turmoil.
The latest figures are still below the six million people that passed through in January 2020.
Overall passenger satisfaction is now at or above pre-pandemic levels, the airport has reported this morning.
According to Heathrow's own figures, in January, 98% of passengers waited less than 10 minutes for security - part of the reason the travel hub has been named Travel Weekly’s Best UK Airport.
One issue bosses are likely to be less cheerful about is the looming strike action, with 3,000 airport security guards, engineers and firefighters being balloted this week over whether to walk out over Easter.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow is back to its best, with passenger satisfaction scores meeting or exceeding 2019 levels.
"We are giving a warm welcome to families over the half term getaway by delivering excellent service and bringing back the magic of travel.”
Heathrow is also at the forefront of a trial of eGates for children aged 10 and 11, which is taking place this half term and could see families' airport exit time cut significantly.
"We are fully supportive of Border Force’s aspirations to expand the use of eGates to more families and visa holders, assisting with smooth and seamless journeys," a statement from the airport read.
"We welcome British Airways and Virgin’s announcement on restarting ticket sales to China, reopening a key market for British exports once more.
"Following the pandemic, we have worked tirelessly alongside our airline partners to rebuild the world-class connectivity Heathrow offers to our passengers and cargo."
Like many other UK airports, Heathrow came in for a fair amount of criticism as the skies reopened during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Issues with baggage handling saw many people separated from their luggage or losing their items amidst huge piles of bags which built up at the airport.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was quick to target the airport with his ire during its difficult period.
He spent much of summer 2022 mocking "hopeless Heathrow" in interviews after the airport put a 100,000 daily cap on passengers to deal with staffing issues.
The cap was in place from July 2022 to October 30, and was credited with helping the travel hub stop lengthy delays and cancellations.
Around 17,000 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports during half-term, which is down 19% compared to the same period in 2019.
