A cracking good Easter helps Heathrow break April records

A cracking good Easter helped London Heathrow break passenger records during the month of April, the UK's busiest airport revealed this week.  It was the 30th month of consecutive growth and 3.3% more passengers travelled through the airport in April 2019 than in April 2018.

In total Heathrow welcomed 6.79 million passengers during April, that's an average of 226,600 people each day which is the equivalent of the population of Aberdeen!

North America was the most popular market with new flights taking off to Nashville, Pittsburgh and Charleston helping to push up passenger numbers by 7.5% month-on-month. New routes to Durban, Marrakesh and the Seychelles led to a notable 12% increase in passengers travelling to Africa

Helping to boost links to more Asian markets, Heathrow announced a new Air China, thrice weekly service to Chengdu. Air China is set to transport 80,000 passengers and 3,744 tonnes of cargo between China and the UK each year

Improving regional connectivity, Heathrow welcomed Flybe’s route from Cornwall Airport Newquay, marking the start of a new year-round service operating four flights a day, seven days a week

Trade through Heathrow performed stronger than any other European hub, with cargo increasing in Latin American (+15.1%) and African (+11.4%) markets

The High Court delivered a ruling that all judicial review challenges to Heathrow expansion have been dismissed, as the airport prepares for statutory consultation on its proposals in June. The consultation represents a significant delivery milestone and important opportunity for local communities to help shape plans for a future Heathrow.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Increasing passenger demand and new long haul and domestic routes is a reminder of the critical role aviation plays in our economy, connecting all of Britain to global growth. However, to maintain the economic benefits of flying for future generations, aviation must play its part in keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees. Carbon is the problem, not flying, and Heathrow is taking a lead in moving the global aviation sector to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

         

Traffic Summary
April 2019
Terminal Passengers (000s)	Apr 2019	% Change	Jan to Apr 2019	% Change	May 2018 to Apr 2019	% Change
Market
UK	419	4.0	1,458	-2.9	4,752	-1.7
EU	2,319	0.1	8,213	1.5	27,726	3.0
Non-EU Europe	481	0.3	1,813	-0.5	5,715	0.3
Africa	301	11.9	1,192	9.1	3,438	6.5
North America	1,558	7.5	5,395	6.0	18,404	5.9
Latin America	113	5.8	455	5.2	1,373	4.5
Middle East	678	2.2	2,445	-3.4	7,574	-1.1
Asia / Pacific	929	3.8	3,764	1.4	11,586	2.3
Total	6,798	3.3	24,736	1.9	80,567	2.8
Air Transport Movements	Apr 2019	% Change	Jan to Apr 2019	% Change	May 2018 to Apr 2019	% Change
Market
UK	3,646	9.6	12,088	-4.6	38,148	-5.4
EU	17,920	0.1	67,126	0.2	212,619	0.1
Non-EU Europe	3,554	-2.5	14,590	0.6	43,792	-1.4
Africa	1,289	9.8	5,234	9.0	14,868	3.6
North America	7,031	1.1	26,197	1.1	82,876	1.7
Latin America	496	3.5	2,017	6.3	6,114	6.3
Middle East	2,455	-3.6	9,924	-2.4	30,418	-2.2
Asia / Pacific	3,873	1.3	15,781	3.6	47,573	4.7
Total	40,264	1.0	152,957	0.5	476,408	0.2
Cargo (Metric Tonnes)	Apr 2019	% Change	Jan to Apr 2019	% Change	May 2018 to Apr 2019	% Change
Market
UK	44	-25.4	193	-42.2	776	-27.6
EU	7,905	-18.1	30,967	-20.0	103,057	-9.8
Non-EU Europe	4,327	-1.9	18,699	10.4	58,915	5.5
Africa	8,462	11.4	32,375	11.5	93,699	2.5
North America	47,034	-9.6	200,960	-3.2	609,430	-2.1
Latin America	4,869	15.1	18,718	16.5	55,039	9.3
Middle East	20,738	1.0	81,327	-1.9	255,453	-4.6
Asia / Pacific	39,515	-7.5	157,897	-5.1	506,482	-1.8
Total	132,893	-5.9	541,137	-3.0	1,682,851	-2.1

Heathrow Airport

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