Business and traffic commentary July 2017

07.00 11th August 2017

Summer getaway sends Heathrow soaring to best month in history

§ Heathrow recorded its best-ever single month in its history in July as the summer getaway sent passenger numbers soaring to record highs

§ Breaking all previous monthly records, Heathrow welcomed 7.53 million passengers in July (+1.2% on last July) - averaging 243,000 passengers or the equivalent of the population of Plymouth every day

§ Trade through Heathrow climbed at the fastest rate ever recorded at the UK's largest port - up 15% to 143,000 tonnes in July

§ American Airlines boosted cargo volumes by a huge 44% driving growth in trade with North America (+16%) while East Asia saw a 14% uplift on the back of strong growth to China, Hong Kong and Singapore

§ Middle Eastern destinations were particularly popular for travellers as fuller aircraft led to a seven per cent increase in passengers to the region, while more flights to Brazil pushed up passenger numbers to Latin America by three per cent

§ UK destinations saw five percent passenger growth on the back of recently launched Flybe flights to Scotland

§ This summer saw Heathrow introduce new travelling friend 'Little Miss Explorer' to its tiniest travellers. Alongside Mr Adventure, the travelling duo launched a new augmented reality app to entertain children travelling with an interactive treasure hunt across the airport

§ Heathrow continues to work closely with airlines and has made good progress towards meeting the Government's challenge to deliver expansion with charges close to current levels, while delivering all local commitments and the global connections Britain needs

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"Britain's global gateway is hard at work this summer holiday season - July was the best month in Heathrow's history. With more passengers than ever and trade growing at the fastest rate ever recorded, Heathrow is helping Britain show the world our country is open for business."