Heathrow's September passenger numbers and cargo volumes soar
Heathrow welcomed a record number of passengers in September, with 6.8 million travelling through the airport.
Heathrow’s cargo volumes surged 6% in September on the back of growth to East Asia and Latin America (Brazil up 18%, China up 13% and Mexico 7%). Heathrow is Britain’s largest port, accounting for almost 30% of all UK exports by value outside the EU last year.
Emerging market passenger growth was also strong, with China up 7% and Mexico and India both up 5%.
Larger, quieter and more efficient aircraft continued to be a driver for growth in passenger volumes which were up 0.4% in September as airlines deploy more and more new generation Airbus A380s, A350s and Boeing 787s at Heathrow.
An independent study from the University of Cambridge confirmed the Airports Commission’s analysis that a third runway can be delivered within tough environmental limits.
Heathrow announced plans to give Britain a ‘Brexit Boost’ with an additional 25,000 flights on existing runways from 2021.
As well as adding vital extra capacity on existing routes, the end of EU regulation offers an opportunity to ring-fence some of the new slots for 'Brexit Boost Routes' including new domestic connections such as Humberside, Dundee, Newquay or Liverpool and new long-haul trade routes to growth markets such as Osaka, Kochi, Wuhan and Quito.
Heathrow also plans to boost domestic services by bringing forward to 2021 £10m in start-up capital to support new UK routes.