Heathrow vows ‘robust’ plan as it faces record-breaking passenger numbers and strikes

Heathrow has promised it has a “robust operating plan in place to keep the airport running smoothly” this summer as it faces the twin pressures of record-breaking passenger numbers and potential industrial action. The UK hub airport is experiencing surging demand for travel across all its key routes, leading it to raise its forecasts for full-year passenger numbers from 81.4mn to 82.4mn, which would beat 2019’s previous record. “We are seeing growth in all markets and in all classes [of travel],” said chief financial officer Javier Echave. The announcement comes as Unite union revealed plans for two sets of strikes in May, including contracted refuelling staff over the early May bank holiday. Nearly 800 workers employed by the airport are to walk out for seven days from May 7 in a dispute over plans to outsource some jobs to contractors. Heathrow, which said there would be no job losses, said it expected the airport to continue to operate normally throughout the strikes. “I think that the key message is reassurance . . . we expect no disruption,” Echave said. The two-runway airport has long operated at close to its maximum capacity. But Echave said airlines had turned to using larger aircraft and shifted an increasing number of their routes from short-haul to long-haul, which allows passenger numbers to rise within the airport’s limits of 480,000 flights a year. Heathrow boosted its predictions for passenger numbers this year after a record-breaking first quarter in which 18.5mn travellers passed through the airport, driven by growth in Asian routes. The airport said adjusted pre-tax profits for the quarter were GBP83m, swinging from a loss of GBP139m in the same period last year.<br/>