Heathrow has 31st month of record growth

Courtesy Heathrow

The figures are up 1.4% on the same time last year, boosted by both of May’s bank holidays as holidaymakers spent the long weekends away.

Oceania was the best performing region (+10.8%) as Qantas flew fuller aircraft. East Asia (+10.7%) followed closely behind, continuing to grow with new routes to China and Japan. Domestic traffic also grew by 2.2% boosted by Flybe’s new routes to Newquay and Guernsey.

Over 134,000 metric tonnes of cargo travelled through the UK’s largest port in May, 94% of which flew in the belly hold of passenger planes. Latin America saw the most growth (+14%) following additional services to Brazil and Mexico.

Heathrow recently announced plans for its Ultra-Low Emission Zone and wider Vehicle Access Charge, a move which aims to protect local air quality and reduce congestion as the airport prepares to expand.

Also, as a result of a successful campaign led by Heathrow, citizens from America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan are now allowed to use the eGates at UK airports, significantly reducing the queues at the border. The airport also recently revealed plans to soon enable passengers to keep their liquids and laptops inside their cabin baggage when passing through security at Heathrow, following a £50 million investment to install next-generation CT security equipment.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “With more countries making use of the eGates, we’re now able to offer passengers from key trading partners a world class experience at the border, showing that Britain is open for business.”