No passenger number record Heathrow despite of the Olympics

London - The day after the Olympic closing ceremony, Heathrow saw its busiest day in history. July, however, wasn't a peak month compared to that same month of the previous year. Heathrow transported 4.4% fewer passengers. The airport did not even exceed 6.6 million passengers. Europe's biggest airport did not hit a passenger number record like Frankfurt Airport and Schiphol-Amsterdam Airport did.

BAA London Heathrow's operator expected a record crowd with 650.000 extra passengers during the Olympic games. Early in July, chaos ruled on the airport, and doom scenarios were expected. Delays at passport control, which were caused by understaffing of security personnel, resulted in travellers having to wait up to 2,5 hours for passport control. 

Heathrow opened a special Olympic terminal, allowing for priority check-in for athletes through the airport personnel parking garage. According to press agency Reuters, the airport welcomed 15.000 Olympians and their coaches. The transportation of thousands of additional pieces of luggage was the biggest challenge for Heathrow.