Heathrow passenger traffic dips amid Saudi takeover speculation
Heathrow Airport’s passenger traffic slowed in November as speculation swirls over the possibility of a Saudi-state-backed consortium seizing majority control of the hub.
Some 6.1m passengers travelled through the West London airport last month, up 10 per cent year-on-year, but down on October’s 6.9m figure.
It means Heathrow’s total yearly traffic has hit just over 72m, up nearly a third on the prior 11 months, in which the airport was still struggling with a chequered post-pandemic recovery.
Transatlantic travel remains a driving force in that recovery, with 1.4m North American passengers in November nearly matching traffic between the European Union and up 7.7 per cent year-on-year.
Toronto and Chicago both joined 2023’s ‘millionaire’ club last month alongside Singapore, and Heathrow said that San Francisco would likely follow suit.
Chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “Last month saw passengers travelling to celebrate Thanksgiving and Diwali with their loved ones, and we are making final preparations for the Christmas getaway.”
The figures come amid mounting speculation that Saudia Arabia could soon seize majority control of Europe’s biggest airport.
The oil-rich nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), alongside the Saudi-backed asset management firm Ardian, has signed a lucrative £2.4bn deal to buy up the Spanish group Ferrovial’s 25 per cent stake.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that at least one other shareholder in the airport was close to selling, with more likely to follow.
November also saw Heathrow host Virgin Atlantic’s landmark 100 per cent biofuel-powered green flight to New York, a first for the industry.
Woldbye said: “Now we need collaboration between Industry and Government who both have critical deliveries, to scale up Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production to make 100 per cent SAF flights an everyday reality.”