Data published on Wednesday (11 October) showed that passenger numbers have exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time in September, with seven million travellers passing through Heathrow’s gates last month.

The Asia/Pacific market saw the biggest increase in passengers, with numbers going up by 59.6% to 883,0000 travellers. It was followed by the UK and African markets, which reported a 39.1% and 21.5% increase in passengers respectively. 

“We have built a solid legacy for my successor,” he said. “Heathrow is now a customer service business with a clear path to net zero by 2050 and a plan to grow and to connect all of Britain to global growth."

Holland-Kaye – who will hand over the company’s reins on 18 October – has fostered significant change over his nine-year tenure as Heathrow chief executive, delivering Terminal 2 on time and on budget and setting out plans for a third runway at the airport. 

He also had to navigate extremely challenging times, such as the Covid pandemic when he had to keep the airport open and protect the majority of flights while no services were flying. 

However, Holland-Kaye will be remembered for the row that ensued with carriers over passenger charges over the past two years, as airline executives often accused him of downplaying Heathrow’ recovery to get a more favourable passenger price cap.