How busy is London Heathrow Airport right now?

London LHR Updated 4:40 AM local time.

Light

Not busy. Your usual timing is fine.

Quieter than 78% of the time here

The week, hour by hour

The last few days as they actually were, plus today and tomorrow projected.

Expected crowding by hour and day. Rows are the hour of the day, columns are the date.
Hour	Fri21/8	Sat22/8	Sun23/8	Mon24/8	Tue25/8	Wed26/8	Thu27/8
00:00	Quiet	–	Quiet	Quiet	–	–	–
01:00	–	–	–	Quiet	–	–	–
02:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
03:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
04:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light
05:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light
06:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
07:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
08:00	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Busy	Busy
09:00	Peak	Busy	Busy	Peak	Peak	Peak	Busy
10:00	Peak	Moderate	Busy	Busy	Peak	Peak	Busy
11:00	Moderate	Moderate	Busy	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Moderate
12:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Busy
13:00	Peak	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Peak	Moderate
14:00	Peak	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Busy	Busy	Moderate
15:00	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate	Light
16:00	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate
17:00	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Busy	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
18:00	Peak	Busy	Busy	Busy	Peak	Peak	Busy
19:00	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Moderate
20:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light
21:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Light	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
22:00	Quiet	Quiet	–	Quiet	Quiet	–	–
23:00	–	Quiet	Quiet	–	–	–	–

Quiet Light Moderate Busy Peak Tap any square for detail

Estimate Worked out from the published flight schedule and how many seats each flight has. We don't measure the queues themselves.

Quietest times to fly

If your travel dates are flexible, these are the calmest hours at London Heathrow Airport.

1 2:00 AM Quiet

2 10:00 PM Quiet

3 11:00 PM Quiet

4 1:00 AM Quiet

5 midnight Quiet

Where this airport flies

1 United States 853 flights a week 2 Germany 353 flights a week

3 United Kingdom 321 flights a week

4 Italy 267 flights a week 5 Spain 238 flights a week 6 France 233 flights a week 7 Ireland 182 flights a week 8 India 163 flights a week

When the terminal fills up

At London Heathrow Airport the departure hall is busiest around 7:00 AM and quietest around 4:00 AM. The heaviest day is Friday.

Common questions

How busy is London Heathrow Airport right now?

Not busy. Your usual timing is fine. That puts it busier than 22% of the time at this airport.

When is London Heathrow Airport at its busiest?

The departure hall is fullest around 7:00 AM and emptiest around 4:00 AM. Friday is the heaviest day of the week.

How early should I get to London Heathrow Airport?

Passengers arrive on average 1 hour before a short-haul departure and 2 hours before a long-haul one. Add time when the hall is already busy, and always follow your airline's own check-in deadline.

Where does London Heathrow Airport fly to?

The busiest destinations by scheduled departures are United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy.

Is this a real measurement of the security queue?

No. It is an estimate worked out from the published departure schedule and the number of seats on each aircraft. We do not measure security, passport control or check-in lines, and we are not connected to any airport or airline.

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