LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Heathrow said 6.73 million passengers passed through the hub in May, making it the airport's busiest month since the pandemic as travel demand continues to bounce back.
May passenger numbers at the airport are just below the 6.77 million passengers it carried in the same month in 2019, and are higher than last summer's July peak of 6.31 million passengers.
Heathrow, the busiest airport in Britain and western Europe, has said it expects total passenger numbers for 2023 to reach 96% of 2019 levels at its top estimate.
Last year, the airport put a cap on passengers after it struggled to ramp up operations to match demand following the end of COVID-19 restrictions, but it has said it is better prepared this year.
It said on Monday it had been able to manage during May despite strikes by some staff and it was confident that further industrial action this summer would not result in flight cancellations.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority has told Heathrow that the fees it charges passengers need to fall between 2024-2026 but the airport, owned by Spain's Ferrovial (LON:0P2N), Qatar Investment Authority (QE:QOIS) and others, is appealing the ruling by arguing that lower charges will undermine investment.