Heathrow has just posted its busiest ever September, with 6.58 million passengers passing through the airport in the month in bigger, fuller aircraft.
This was an increase of 0.3% on September 2013. The airport say passenger growth was due to the growth in larger, fuller aircraft – which are also quieter. Seats per aircraft increased 0.4% to 204.8, while load factors increased 1.1 percentage points to 81%. Passengers per aircraft rose 1.5% to 165.9.
Within emerging markets, passenger volumes increased 17.6% to Mexico, 14.9% to China and 10.3% to Brazil.
Cargo was up 7.8% overall, increasing 57.2% to Mexico, 52.2% to Nigeria, 37.1% to Russia, 25.6% to China and 20.8% to India.
Two independent polls underlined growing support for Heathrow’s expansion amongst MPs and local residents. A majority of MPs now support an additional runway at Heathrow, with 91% of those who support also believing it will secure parliamentary approval. Local residents are also more in favour of expansion at Heathrow, with 49% supporting an additional runway and 32% opposing.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “September saw growing support from MPs and local residents for expansion at Heathrow as the best solution to the UK’s hub capacity crisis. Heathrow handles a quarter of all British exports by value, but is full. More and more people are asking “how can we double Britain’s exports if we don’t expand Heathrow?.”
