Holland-Kaye’s confident outlook is underlined by continued recovery from the Covid crisis with passenger numbers at Heathrow edging back towards pre-pandemic levels.

In total, 5.2 million people travelled through the airport in February – only around 200,000 fewer than in February 2019 and February 2020.

The airport on Monday (13 March) said the half-term getaway had been "successfully managed", with 26 February proving Terminal 5’s single busiest day since Christmas 2019 after more than 94,000 passengers passed through.

Top half-term destinations, said Heathrow, included Dubai, New York and Madrid. Most departing passengers (98%) cleared security in under 10 minutes for the second month in succession.

“The February half-term went very smoothly, thanks to a great plan and teamwork across the airport," said Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye. "This should give everyone confidence that we are prepared for a successful Easter getaway."