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Aerospace

Heathrow sees strong passenger numbers in September

Over 6.9 million passengers travelled through Heathrow Airport in September, landing its 23rd consecutive record month.

The surge was driven by passengers returning from their summer breaks and students flocking to the UK to start the new academic year​.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “After the best summer on record, Heathrow continues to be the country’s gateway for millions of people who are vital to the economy. In September, we saw travellers return home after a well-deserved summer break and international students flock to the UK eager to receive a British education.”

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The best performer for passenger growth was North America, up 3.8%. As passengers flew direct from Heathrow to 37 destinations across the US and Canada, the airport celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first-ever transatlantic flight, a de Havilland Comet 4 to New York. North America was closely followed by South Asia (3.1%) and East Asia (1.9%).

Cargo volumes grew by 1.2% compared to the same time last year, with the stand out markets being key economic powerhouses – the US, China and Brazil.

Heathrow announced its first investment in the restoration of UK peatlands; a project which aims to restore these carbon sinks after decades of neglect. This is just one of the actions that the airport is taking to hit its goal of being carbon neutral by 2020. The move will offset of 22,427 tonnes of CO2 over 30 years – equivalent to nearly 64,000 passenger journeys from Heathrow to New York.

In September, Heathrow also announced that Terminal 2 is now powered by entirely renewable means: 124 solar panels on its roof, an on-site biomass boiler using locally sourced forestry waste as well as renewable gas and electricity supplies. The latest ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ results saw Aer Lingus, SAS and BA (short-haul) land podium finishes in the race to be the ‘quietest and greenest’ from April to June this year.
 

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Traffic Summary

           
             

September 2018

         
             

Terminal Passengers
(000s)

 Sep 2018

% Change

Jan to
Sep 2018

% Change

Oct 2017 to
Sep 2018

% Change

Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK

             415

-0.6

           3,626

1.1

           4,841

1.9

EU

           2,477

0.7

         20,950

2.6

         27,320

2.5

Non-EU Europe

             473

-0.9

           4,331

-0.2

           5,697

0.0

Africa

             275

1.2

           2,441

4.4

           3,274

4.0

North America

           1,615

3.8

         13,668

3.7

         17,842

3.1

Latin America

             113

1.7

           1,017

4.6

           1,339

5.9

Middle East

             633

-5.2

           5,807

0.8

           7,667

2.1

Asia / Pacific

             981

1.4

           8,700

2.6

         11,479

3.4

Total

           6,982

0.8

         60,539

2.5

         79,459

2.6

             
             

Air Transport Movements

 Sep 2018

% Change

Jan to
Sep 2018

% Change

Oct 2017 to
Sep 2018

% Change

Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK

           3,270

-5.6

         29,291

-1.7

         39,322

1.0

EU

         18,415

-0.7

       160,268

-0.2

       211,884

-0.0

Non-EU Europe

           3,548

-4.1

         32,668

-3.1

         43,727

-3.0

Africa

           1,144

-3.0

         10,557

-1.3

         14,207

-2.3

North America

           7,175

3.6

         62,324

2.1

         82,451

1.9

Latin America

             498

5.5

           4,465

6.5

           5,900

8.1

Middle East

           2,516

-3.7

         23,062

-1.8

         30,885

-1.2

Asia / Pacific

           3,889

4.5

         34,970

4.7

         46,397

4.2

Total

         40,455

-0.4

       357,605

0.2

       474,773

0.5

             
             

Cargo
(Metric Tonnes)

 Sep 2018

% Change

Jan to
Sep 2018

% Change

Oct 2017 to
Sep 2018

% Change

Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK

               63

-45.7

             768

-8.1

           1,044

-5.8

EU

           9,561

2.5

         84,123

3.1

       114,228

4.3

Non-EU Europe

           5,088

-0.0

         42,379

7.1

         57,051

10.1

Africa

           7,005

-1.7

         65,711

-2.5

         89,823

-0.9

North America

         51,691

5.7

       460,313

1.8

       623,873

3.8

Latin America

           4,405

-3.1

         37,779

12.5

         51,544

16.1

Middle East

         21,442

-3.1

       191,048

-2.7

       263,195

0.5

Asia / Pacific

         43,088

-0.7

       382,649

2.1

       516,222

3.4

Total

       142,343

1.2

    1,264,771

1.5

    1,716,980

3.5

             

 

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