Around 90 per cent of passengers managed to navigate airport security within 10 minutes last month, despite reports of widespread chaos, according to latest figures announced by Heathrow Airport. Some 5.3million passengers travelled through the UK's busiest hub in May, which is 79 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Airport bosses said close coordination and planning meant that passengers got away on their flights from Heathrow over the busy Jubilee half term. Despite May being Heathrow's busiest month since March 2020, nine-out-of-10 passengers were through security in less than 10 minutes. No more flights were cancelled at short notice than on any normal day and Border Force performed well.
Terminal 4 will reopen on June 14 with 30 airlines moving into the facility ahead of the summer peak. However, bosses confirmed resources remain tight, in line with other airports in the UK and Europe, and Heathrow was working closely with airlines and handlers to match supply and demand.
The airport's top boss said latest figures showed the plan to maintain a high level of service "is the right one for consumers, and that the last thing passengers want is a cut price plan that leads to the cancelled holidays, stress and “hassle” seen at other airports."
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “I’m immensely proud of the way my team has worked with airlines and other partners to ensure passengers got away during the Jubilee half term. We continue to make good progress with our plans to ramp up capacity and are working closely with airlines and government to keep supply and demand in balance as we grow, so that passengers can travel through Heathrow this summer with confidence.
"Failure to invest risks degrading passenger experience at a time when it has never been more important for operations to ramp up smoothly.”
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
