Heathrow route sees new visitors coming to Guernsey

7,633 passengers travelled to Guernsey in May using the Heathrow route, taking the total to 9,675 passengers since the launch of the service in April.

Data taken throughout the month of May from surveying passengers in Guernsey Airport’s departure lounge suggests that 64% of departing passengers via Heathrow were visitors rather than residents with 55% of those visitors (35% of all BA passengers) being new to the island*.

The increase in visitor numbers via Heathrow helped increase the overall proportion of visitors through the airport to 60% in May 2026 compared to 45% in May 2025.

The total passenger figures for all London routes grew by 17%, resulting in a net additional number of passengers of 4,675 compared to May 2025. The overall net capacity into London increased by 24%, with Heathrow displaying an average 75% load factor, with Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday being the busiest days on average and serviced by the larger A320 aircraft.

The load factors on Gatwick were at 84% with the overall May figures showing a 3% passenger reduction on May 2025 equivalent to 688 passengers.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said:

“Between when the British Airways Heathrow route first started operating near the end of April and the end of May, 9,675 passengers used it to travel. While it is too early to draw any firm conclusions, the early indications are very encouraging. May saw a higher proportion of visitors travelling through the airport and a higher proportion of new visitors through Heathrow specifically. 55% of route users being new visitors to the island is very positive.

"While there has been a small effect on Gatwick, there has been a net positive growth of passengers overall with healthy load factors and the additional capacity especially welcomed during peak travel, which has always been a congestion point. The anecdotal evidence shared with me from industry leaders is suggesting that the new BA Heathrow link is already having a positive impact for business travel and bringing new business and clients.”

Zoe Gosling, Lead Marketing Officer for the States of Guernsey and Visit Guernsey, said:

“The last few months have been especially busy with collaborative campaigns with our key carriers, including British Airways. We launched two high profile marketing campaigns with BA, and more recently we have been working with the British Airways Holidays team to take part in ‘the Original sale’ which runs from 4th - 25th June. The paid partnership focuses on brand awareness and conversion across Facebook and Instagram, in the London and Southeast regions, with ads featuring VisitGuernsey creative with a BA call to action.

“Being able to tap into BA’s global reach is like gold dust for us, placing the islands in front of an audience of tens of millions who may not have considered us as a destination previously. Working with the team at Heathrow Airport also provides another opportunity for us, running a collaborative competition with BA and Heathrow going out via Heathrow Rewards to their 2.9m database, resulting in almost 1,000 entries. It’s encouraging to see this work translating into an increase in first time visitors, which is what we hoped would happen.”

*The May visitor statistics are taken from the Visitor Exit surveys, with the sample size of 2,546 passenger surveyed.