Most popular destinations to fly from Heathrow airport
Most popular destinations to fly from Heathrow airport
Heathrow is the UK’s busiest airport, welcoming around 19 million passengers a year. Figures before the pandemic were astronomical, with over 80.9 million passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport in 2019. While it hasn’t hit pre-pandemic levels, it’s still a hugely popular choice for sun seekers, business travellers, and the like, to hop on a plane. From Heathrow, you can fly to a whopping 214 destinations across 84 countries, so it’s extremely well connected to the rest of the world. With that in mind, here are the five most popular destinations from Heathrow Airport.
It might not come as a surprise that the most popular destination from Heathrow Airport is Dubai. According to Euromonitor’s Top 10 City Destinations Index, Dubai welcomed over 12 million inbound trips in 2022, making it the second most visited city in the world. The flashy city-state has long been popular among those seeking a slice of luxury. It’s also a hugely popular destination for business travellers and family getaways, so it’s not hard to see why it’s such a popular destination for Heathrow Airport. Dubai has also become a popular place for people to move to, with its high wages and excellent quality of life – this could explain why those travelling to visit friends or relatives increased from 10% in 2019 to 16% in 2021.
Dubai Airport itself will set the tone of glitz and glam – there are even palm trees – but it’s on the drive through the skyscrapers that the magnitude of the city will sink in. Marvel at the contrast of the sparkling white beach beside the sky-high buildings, the perfect mix of both a city break and a beach getaway. Even if you are in Dubai for business, some fun in the desert sun is a must. Or make the kids’ day and take them to one of Dubai’s world-renowned theme parks.
Famous for its world-renowned landmarks, museums, designer shops, Broadway, food scene, and so much more, John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City is the second-most popular destination from Heathrow Airport. It’s one of the most famous cities on the planet, and tourism plays a huge part New York – without tourism, the unemployment rate in New York would be 8.5% higher. While figures haven’t reached pre-pandemic level, the city is expected to welcome over 70 million tourists in 2025. And with Google searches for ‘flights to New York’ increasing by 172% since the pandemic, and so many regular flights from Heathrow Airport, they have a good chance of hitting that target.
The city welcomes all kinds of travellers – business, family getaways, solo travellers, and couples. As a financial and creative powerhouse, it comes as no surprise that 18.20% all tourists travelling to New York are on business. But there’s always time to fit in a show, a gallery visit, a trip to Empire State Building, or some good New York City pizza.
Although Barcelona welcomes the most international tourists when it comes to Spanish cities, it’s Madrid that tops it for Heathrow passengers. It was also put at fourth place on Euromonitor’s Top 10 City Destinations Index, so it’s clear that the Spanish capital has a lot to offer visitors. Excellent cuisine, museums, galleries, and nightlife are just some of the reasons why Madrid is the third most popular destination from Heathrow Airport. It’s also a big destination for corporate travellers, with 15% of yearly passengers flying into Madrid on business. Whether you’re in the city for business or not, you’ll want to make some time to relax in one of the many parks, wander around the beautiful galleries, and soak in the architecture.
When you can be in Dublin within an hour and a half, why wouldn’t you hop on a plane? The buzzing Irish city is the fourth most popular destination for London Heathrow travellers. Famous for its traditional pubs, friendly locals, Georgian architecture, and of course, a good pint of Guinness, there’s a lot to love about Dublin. Given the city’s population, it generates a huge 50% of Ireland’s GDP in the tourism sector – it’s a massively important part of the economy as a whole. The city is the most well-connected airport in Ireland, serving over 146 destinations worldwide with excellent links to major European cities. While mainland Europe accounts for 37.3% of international tourists, Britain is by far the largest single market accounting for a huge 36% of visitors.
The city is a brilliant destination for any kind of traveller, but it’s mostly popular for those simply taking time to relax – over half of Dublin’s visitors are looking for a holiday. It’s also well positioned for corporate travellers with around 14% coming to the city on business. Whatever the purpose of your visit is, you’ll quickly get wrapped up in the charm of this cheerful city.
Doha Airport, or Hamad International Airport, might just be the fifth most popular destination for London Heathrow for its sheer beauty of it. The architectural masterpiece is the second-best airport in the world according to Skytrax, connecting the rest of the world to this gem in the Middle East. The World Cup encouraged millions of passengers to visit Doha in the second half of 2022, but the airport was already a popular destination with over 7 million passengers in the first quarter of 2022. There’s also been a significant increase in demand for leisure travel to Doha after the World Cup. More people are opening up to the possibilities of this intriguing place and its glittering skyline, Michelin-star restaurants, museums, sand dunes, and more.
