New figures show that 7.86 million passengers travelled through Heathrow's four terminals in July, compared to 8.15 million at Istanbul Airport during the same period. "The case for expansion has never been clearer, as Heathrow was overtaken in July by Istanbul airport as the busiest hub in Europe. Despite limited capacity, the airport continues to advocate for a third runway, which would enable it to handle up to 150 million passengers annually. It recorded 84.46 million passengers in 2025. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander launched a consultation on the renamed Heathrow expansion national policy statement in June, outlining conditions under which the project could move forward.