UK. London Heathrow Airport handled a record 78 million passengers in 2017, up by +3.1% on a year earlier. In December, volumes grew by +2.8% to 6.3 million. In the run-up to Christmas, 22 December was the busiest day, with 248,288 passengers.
In the full year, Middle East routes generated the highest rate of growth at +9.5%. Latin America (+5.5%) and Asia Pacific (+4.5%) also delivered growth well above the average.
Traffic to and from Europe climbed by +2.4% and passenger numbers on North American routes rose by +1.1% year-on-year.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow had its best year ever in 2017 helping to strengthen the British economy as the country seeks to redefine its role in the world. Our colleagues welcomed 78 million passengers and supported the delivery of record volumes of British trade to markets around the world. We’re looking forward to continuing to deliver for Britain in 2018 as we progress our expansion plans.”
