• Heathrow airport projects 9 million more passengers for 2022 than originally forecast.
• UK’s largest airport anticipates 54.4 million passengers, or 67% of 2019 levels, this year.
• Heathrow anticipates a 257% increase in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to £1.37 billion.

London Heathrow airport has increased its traffic prediction for 2022, projecting that over 9 million more people will go through the UK’s largest airport than originally anticipated.

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This year, the airport anticipates that 54.4 million passengers, or 67% of 2019 levels, would pass through its terminals.

This is a substantial rise compared to 2021 when travel restrictions were in effect for the majority of the year. The airport projected 45,500,000 passengers for 2022 in December.

Heathrow noted a “steady traffic increase” during the first five months of the year, with 20,1 million passengers passing through the airport.

“We have officially surpassed the total amount of passengers seen during the whole of 2021,” the airport said in an investor report on Thursday.

“However, the degree of uncertainty is still significant,” the report added.

Heathrow anticipates a 257% increase in its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to £1.37 billion by 2021. Revenue is anticipated to rise to £2.6 billion.

It anticipates that rising energy costs would increase its operational expenses by nearly half to £1.2 billion as a result.

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This month, the chief executive officer of Heathrow warned that the aviation industry would not recover to pre-pandemic levels for up to 18 months.