Heathrow reported record number of passengers
Article continues below
Fast-growing emerging markets continue to be a driver of traffic growth at Heathrow, with passenger volumes up 6.3% to Latin America, 5.2% to East Asia and 3.5% to the Middle East & Central Asia. Growth of 2.5% in transfer passenger volumes at the UK's only hub attracted more long-haul flights to growth markets like China and Mexico.
Heathrow saw growth of 5.3% in cargo volumes to 1.5 million metric tonnes.
Larger, quieter aircraft continued to contribute to passenger growth at Heathrow. Seats per aircraft increased 0.6% to 208.4, while load factors remained strong at 76.6%. Passengers per aircraft rose 0.4% to 159.6. Passenger volumes continued growth within emerging markets, increasing 15.1% to China, 10.9% to Mexico and 4.0% to the Middle East & Central Asia.
Heathrow continued to welcome the transfer passengers that make such long-haul routes viable, with year-on-year volumes increasing 4.7%. Cargo volumes saw strong growth of 6.2% overall, including increases of 33.5% to Mexico, 29.4% to Brazil, 15% to Turkey and 11.2% to India ■