Heathrow welcomed 6.6m passengers in April
Combined with March’s figures, underlying passenger growth at Heathrow over the two months was 1.4%. For the first time, more than 13 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in March and April.
Passenger growth was strongest for domestic and emerging markets. South Asia (+3.6%), Africa (+3.1%) and the UK (+0.8%) were the best performers in April, largely due to airlines flying larger, fuller aircraft to these destinations.
Cargo enjoyed its 21st consecutive record month, as trade growth at the UK’s largest port by value increased by 2.3%, compared to the same time last year.
The US (+4.1%), India (+7.1%) and China (+10.9%) – the three biggest economies of the 21st century – were among the fastest growing countries for cargo.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “We’re seeing more passengers and trade flow through Heathrow than ever before.”
In April, Heathrow launched a pitch process to encourage potential commercial development partners to share their innovative ideas on how to deliver expansion affordably, sustainably and financeably. The airport is also aiming to lead the aviation industry in cutting single-use plastics, the first step of which is Heathrow’s plan to recycle up to 13.5 million of the single-use coffee cups used at the airport annually.
