Record Cargo at London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport release numbers outlining record cargo performance at the British Airport.

  • 6.6 million passengers travelled through the UK’s only hub airport in April. Combined with March’s figures, underlying passenger growth at Heathrow over the two months was 1.4%. For the first time, more than 13 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in March and April
  • Passenger growth was strongest for domestic and emerging markets. South Asia (+3.6%), Africa (+3.1%) and the UK (+0.8%) were the best performers in April, largely due to airlines flying larger, fuller aircraft to these destinations
  • Cargo enjoyed its 21st consecutive record month, as trade growth at the UK’s largest port by value increased by 2.3%, compared to the same time last year
  • The US (+4.1%), India (+7.1%) and China (+10.9%) – the three biggest economies of the 21st century – were among the fastest growing countries for cargo
  • In April, Heathrow launched a pitch process to encourage potential commercial development partners to share their innovative ideas on how to deliver expansion affordably, sustainably and financeably
  • Heathrow is aiming to lead the aviation industry in cutting single-use plastics, the first step of which is Heathrow’s plan to recycle up to 13.5 million of the single-use coffee cups used at the airport annually

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye 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.”

Traffic Summary
April 2018
Terminal Passengers
(000s)
Month % Change Jan to
Apr 2018
% Change May 2017 to
Apr 2018
% Change
Heathrow            6,582 -2.2 24,271 1.6          78,366 2.1
Air Transport Movements  Month % Change Jan to
Apr 2018
% Change May 2017 to
Apr 2018
% Change
Heathrow          39,859 1.0 152,173 0.9        475,323 0.6
Cargo
(Metric Tonnes)
Month % Change Jan to
Apr 2018
% Change May 2017 to
Apr 2018
% Change
Heathrow        141,215 2.3 557,950 3.8     1,718,944 8.8
Market comparison
(000s)
Month % Change Jan to
Apr 2018
% Change May 2017 to
Apr 2018
% Change
Market            
UK              403 0.8            1,501 2.2            4,834 3.2
Europe            2,796 -1.3            9,911 1.4          32,623 1.5
Africa              269 3.1            1,092 5.6            3,228 2.2
North America            1,449 -3.9            5,091 0.4          17,379 0.6
Latin America              107 -0.8              433 4.9            1,314 5.7
Middle East              663 -3.9            2,532 1.5            7,661 5.0
Asia / Pacific              895 -3.9            3,710 1.9          11,328 3.6
Total            6,582 -2.2          24,271 1.6          78,366 2.1