US-Iran War Causes Drop in Passengers at UK's Largest Airport

Illustration of airline companies at the airport. (Alev Takil-Unsplash)

LONDON - London Heathrow International Airport in the UK estimates that the US-Israeli war against Iran will affect the number of passengers for the rest of 2026.

The airport authority in west London said its passenger numbers for the rest of the year were likely to be affected by regional conflicts in the Middle East.

"Although Heathrow has temporarily absorbed demand from elsewhere, passenger numbers for the rest of this year are likely to be affected as long as there is significant uncertainty in the Middle East," Heathrow Airport said in a statement Wednesday evening, April 29.

The authority noted that as many as 18.9 million passengers traveled through the four largest airport terminals in the UK during the first three months of this year, an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

However, authorities have predicated an uncertain outlook for the rest of 2026.

Around half a million passengers per day normally use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, which are important transit airports on flights between Europe and the Asian continent as well as Australia.

The outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran since February 28, 2026 has closed a number of the country's airspace in the Middle East for flight routes, which has a major impact on air travel.

Currently, most airspace in the Middle East has reopened, but many people are avoiding flights to the region because it is still vulnerable to the start of another war.