London Heathrow (LHR) is one of the busiest two-runway airports in the world, and in 2026, it operates at nearly 98% of its total capacity. On average, there are approximately 1,300 to 1,400 flight movements (takeoffs and landings combined) per day. This breaks down to about 650 to 700 arriving flights every 24 hours. Because Heathrow is a "slot-constrained" airport, there is a landing or a takeoff roughly every 45 to 60 seconds during peak hours. Annually, this totals more than 470,000 flight movements. The airport handles over 80 million passengers a year, served by more than 80 airlines flying to over 200 destinations. Despite the high volume, Heathrow has strict "night flight" restrictions; very few planes land between 11:30 PM and 4:30 AM to minimize noise for local residents. If you are flying in, you will likely join a "stack" or holding pattern over London—a common occurrence due to the sheer density of incoming traffic trying to utilize the airport's two primary runways.