Olympic heroes boost Heathrow to a golden August

07.00 12th September 2016

Olympic heroes boost Heathrow to a golden August

§ Heathrow set a new passenger record for the month of August, welcoming 7.34 million passengers at the UK's only hub airport - including a triumphant TeamGB who were greeted by family and friends in Terminal 5 after one of Britain's best Olympic performances in Rio de Janeiro

§ As the Government prepares its strategy to increase Britain's global trade, Heathrow accounted for almost 30% of all UK exports by value outside the EU last year while Gatwick served only 0.2%. Trade growth to fast-growing economies from Heathrow was particularly strong in August, with cargo to Latin America up 12%, the Middle East up 5.7% and East Asia up 3.7%

§ Larger, quieter and more efficient aircraft continued to be a driver for growth in passenger volumes which are up 0.7% for 2016 as airlines deploy more and more new generation Airbus A380s, A350s and Boeing 787s at Heathrow

§ Within emerging markets, passenger volumes increased 9.1% to the Middle East, 5.8% to Latin America and 5.1% to East Asia - evidence that demand to fly from the UKs only hub remains strong

§ Heathrow launched 5 SME guarantees to help grow Britain's small businesses. The initiatives include grants and the chance for SMEs to sell their products directly to over 75 million annual Heathrow passengers. SMEs already account for over a third of Heathrow's Tier 1 supply chain and the airport is committed to increasing this further

§ To enable Britain to fully seize the opportunities presented by the Brexit vote, Heathrow announced that the airport is looking at options for connecting Britain to growth quicker and cheaper

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"We were delighted to welcome the golden heroes of TeamGB back from Rio. They have shown that Britain can be successful against tough international competition by backing our winners. Britain should not accept bronze, when we could so easily win gold. So now is the time to back the winners in our economy and expand Britain's biggest and most successful port, Heathrow.

We can get exporters, large and small, from all across Britain connected to the growing markets of the world, and it is urgent that we get on with it. That is why we are looking at options to connect Britain to growth quicker and cheaper."

Notes to Editors:

§ Cargo / air freight is critical to Heathrow's success in winning and sustaining long-haul routes for trade and passengers. Air freight is carried in the belly-holds of passenger planes

§ Heathrow is the largest UK port by value carrying over £100bn of cargo every year, more than the joint total from Felixstowe and Southampton, the UK's biggest shipping ports

§ As the Airports Commission report stated: "Heathrow is by far the largest and most important UK airport for freight". Compared to other UK airports, the Commission said that Heathrow is "better placed to accommodate high frequencies of less thick long-haul connections and … thus more attractive for freight handling. Another attractive feature of Heathrow for the freight sector is its central position on the strategic road network."

§ Only Heathrow has plans to significantly increase its cargo-handling capacity to exploit the opportunities that greater connectivity brings for British businesses trading with existing and new markets