Heathrow International Airport, the biggest and busiest airport in Europe, says passengers numbers this year predicted to hit 82.4 million but airport’s future uncertain, with proposed GBP 6 billion sale in doubt.

Heathrow International Airport, which is the largest not only in the United Kingdom but also across Europe, anticipates the busiest summer holiday season in its history with over 82.4 million passengers. However, the GBP 6 billion sale of the largest airport in the UK raises questions about the airport’s long-term viability.

According to a press statement by Heathrow, the summer getaway this year was expected to be “the busiest on record” and promised to have “robust” plans in place to keep the airport “running smoothly,” even if staff strikes held last year are repeated.

It says that the number of passengers using the airport this year is expected to hit more than 82.4 million. This would make it the busiest year on record, and above the previous high in 2019, when 80.9 million travelled through the airport.

The statement adds that Heathrow’s future is in the balance amid reports that a proposed deal to buy the airport from the Spanish construction company Ferrovial is on hold after Macquarie ruled out taking a stake.

According to reports, the Australian investment firm had been interested in taking a 35 pc stake but withdrew its interest and no other bidders have emerged.

Earlier this month, the airport called on the government to scrap a new GBP 10 charge for overseas travellers using the airport to connect to other flights, warning that it was hitting traveller numbers and putting UK airports at a competitive disadvantage to European rivals.

Heathrow repeated this call recently, while also urging ministers to rethink the “anti-growth” tourist tax, which means tourists pay VAT on purchases.

The statement says that this deal would have supported a bid by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the private equity firm Ardian to take a 25 pc stake in the airport. However, the future of the airport’s ownership is now unclear.

The company said it made an GBP 83 million pre-tax profit for the three months until the end of March, up from the GBP 139 million loss it made for the same period in 2023.

“On the horizon is Heathrow’s busiest summer yet with more passengers and destinations served than ever before. We’re ready to continue delivering,” says Javier Echave, the chief financial officer at Heathrow.

The trade union Unite said earlier this week that hundreds of workers at Heathrow would strike in a dispute over the outsourcing of jobs.