Heathrow airport has reported a 0.5 per cent rise in passenger numbers to more than 6.5 million in March, marking the hub’s 29th month of traffic growth.
Flights to Africa proved to be the largest area of growth, with passenger numbers to the continent up 6.2 per cent on March 2018, followed by North America at 3.6 per cent and Latin America at 2.8 per cent.
Services to the Middle East saw a dramatic 10.9 per cent drop to 597,000.
Despite continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit, domestic connections saw a slight upturn (0.2 per cent), though passenger numbers on internal flights fell 5.4 per cent year on year in the three months to 31 March. Meanwhile, EU services grew 2.1 per cent in the same period.
Cargo tonnage within the UK fell nearly 56 per cent, while shipments to the EU dropped 14.4 per cent, but movements to Latin America increased 23.9 per cent. Overall, Heathrow saw a 0.8 per cent decrease in cargo in March.
During the month, Heathrow saw Flybe open a new route to Cornwall, while British Airways launched a second service to Inverness.
CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Despite Brexit uncertainty, Heathrow remains a bright light for the UK, with the role we play in keeping people and products moving evident. Our new domestic connections will be pivotal in linking more regions and nations to global opportunities, benefiting all corners of this great country and we look forward to announcing many more of these as part of the expansion programme.”
heathrow.com