UK's busiest flight path unveiled and it's not to anywhere in Europe

Heathrow reported record-breaking rider volumes past November, with 1 cardinal way dominating the skies - and it's not a short-haul flight

Heathrow Airport had a record-breaking twelvemonth successful 2024, marking its busiest November to day by serving 6.5 cardinal passengers successful the azygous month. Addressing the grounds November numbers, Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “This twelvemonth has been each astir providing precocious levels of work for grounds amounts of passengers astatine Heathrow.”

Unsurprisingly for the UK’s busiest airport, rider volumes person been steadily connected the rise. Though postulation information indicates a displacement successful traveller demand. Last twelvemonth saw a 6.5% year-to-date summation successful rider volumes compared to 2023, with notable maturation successful connecting regions similar the Middle East (up 6.6%) and Asia Pacific (up 11.4%), indicating an expanding request for these leisure and concern question markets. However, determination is 1 UK formation route—outside of the EU, Asia and the Middle East—that continues to dominate.

Known arsenic the “Billion Dollar Route”, the New York JFK to London Heathrow formation work remains 1 of the busiest successful the world. The formation way acquired its nickname successful 2019, aft being the lone formation way successful the satellite to gross a cardinal dollars. Today, different paths person breached done the billion-dollar obstruction including Sydney to Melbourne and Riyadh to Jeddah. Nevertheless, JFK to Heathrow remains the busiest and astir profitable way successful Europe.

According to OAG, the aviation information consultancy group, JFK to Heathrow was the busiest way successful Europe successful 2024, signaling 4,011,235 seats. On a planetary scale, JFK to Heathrow was the 10th busiest way successful 2024. Though it should beryllium noted that this is simply a little ranking compared to years past (reaching the 8th spot successful 2019 and 2023).

The Billion Dollar Route was surpassed predominately by flights to Asia, with the way of Hong Kong to Taipei ranking 1st busiest and Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita ranking 3rd busiest successful world. Both of these Asia formation paths experienced important increases compared to 2023 (noting 48% and 30% increases successful seats respectively). According to OAG, these increases are indicative of the region’s continued post-pandemic recovery.

The JFK to Heathrow way is presently serviced by aggregate hose carriers, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and JetBlue. With each bearer flying the way aggregate times a day.

New flights announced

While the Billion Dollar Route shows nary important signs of quieting, determination are a fewer caller Heathrow flights sparking involvement successful 2025. Beginning successful May 2025, travellers volition beryllium capable to alert straight from Heathrow to Salerno and Rimini connected British Airways. Additionally, BA is introducing a caller formation from London to Tbilisi opening successful March.

As caller formation routes are introduced each year, statement surrounding Heathrow’s request to grow and modernise continues to rage on. Earlier this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government’s enactment for Heathrow’s projected 3rd runway. Reeves said the enlargement of Europe’s busiest airdrome was “badly needed” to link the UK to the world.

The authorities enactment comes a week aft Luis Gallego, CEO of the International Airline Group (parent of British Airways) voiced conditional enactment for Heathrow’s 3rd runway, babelike connected the airdrome modernising its existent regulatory framework.