Heathrow airport saw a dip in passenger numbers during April, but underlying traffic growth between March and April was at 1.4 per cent and cargo tonnage increased 2.3 per cent.
Total passenger numbers for the month were down 2.2 per cent to 6.6 million, bringing the 2018 rolling figure to an increase of 1.6 per cent over 2017.
Heathrow says domestic destinations and emerging markets performed the best in April, with South Asia up 3.6 per cent, Africa up 3.1 per cent and UK routes up 0.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, 141,215 metric tonnes of cargo passed through the airport – up 2.3 per cent year-on-year. Cargo for May 2017 to April 2018 grew 8.8 per cent.
The US (+4.1 per cent), India (+7.1 per cent) and China (+10.9 per cent) were among the fastest-growing countries for cargo.
John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow airport, said: “We’re seeing more passengers and trade flow through Heathrow than ever before. A third runway is a tremendous opportunity to grab a greater share of this global growth for Britain and we’re counting on our politicians to seize it with a ‘yes’ vote on Heathrow expansion this summer.”
heathrow.com