Heathrow traffic and business commentary October

07.00 11 November 2014

Heathrow traffic and business commentary October 2014

· Heathrow saw its busiest ever October with 6.32 million passengers choosing to travel through the airport, an increase of 0.4% on October 2013

· Passenger growth continued to be driven by larger, fuller, quieter aircraft at Heathrow. Seats per aircraft increased 0.7% to 204.9, while load factors increased 0.1 percentage points to 76.1%. Passengers per aircraft rose 0.9% to 156.0

· Passenger volumes remained strong within emerging markets, increasing 9.6% to China, 7.2% to Brazil, 6.6% to Mexico and 4.5% to India

· Heathrow continued to welcome the transfer passengers that make such long-haul routes viable, with volumes increasing 1.1%

· Cargo was up 8.3% overall, increasing 42.7% to Mexico, 35.8% to Brazil, 21.0% to Russia, 13.6% to China, 13.4% to India and 11.7% to Turkey

· An open letter to the Airports Commission from 24 Chambers of Commerce representing over 40,000 businesses from across the UK underlined growing business support for Heathrow's expansion. The Chambers outlined how only a stronger hub at Heathrow can support their regions and connect local businesses to global markets

· Successful completion of the transition of 26 airlines into Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal, with over 40,000 passengers now enjoying the world class facility every day. As a base for the Star Alliance, Terminal 2 is already enhancing efficiencies and enabling closer commercial cooperation amongst member airlines

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"As the Airports Commission prepares to launch its national consultation, more and more people across the UK are recognising that Heathrow plays a critical role in the success of the British economy. Business is telling the Commission that Heathrow is geographically in the best location, is the only airport that can deliver flights to the world's growth markets and the only option that has exports front and centre of its expansion plans. With 26% of all British exports going through Heathrow, compared to less than 2% at Gatwick, businesses up and down the country are making it clear that Heathrow is the only option that can help Britain win the race for growth."