Net gains: World Cup fever drives Heathrow’s record-breaking June

UK. Heathrow Airport said that ‘World Cup fever’ had helped drive the airport’s busiest June on record, with passenger numbers rising +5.4% year-on-year to over 7 million (see table below).

Certainly that was the case on 26 June as the airport posted a +50% increase in the number of passengers travelling to Russia over the same day last year as fans headed abroad hoping to watch England’s unexpected success story continue.

England play Croatia tonight in a semi-final clash that even the most optimistic English supporter could have scarcely predicted at the start of the tournament.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow has had a great June, the start to a fantastic summer showing off the best of Britain. We’re proud to be the UK’s gateway, connecting the world’s best fans to the pitches of the World Cup in Russia and the grass courts of Wimbledon. With a strong mandate from Parliament to expand, we’ll continue making Britain proud for decades to come.”

Africa saw the fastest passenger growth in June (+11.3%), closely followed by South Asia (+11%) and Latin America (+9.2%)

Noting how seriously it is taking its responsibility as the UK’s leading gateway, the company noted that Gate 13 at Terminal 3 has been transformed to showcase the beauty of Scotland with stunning floor-to-ceiling images (see below table) aimed at boosting tourism north of the border. Over 1 million passengers are expected to see the images with further gates set to be transformed to promote Wales and Northern Ireland later this year.

V&A Dundee (Photographer Ross Fraser McLean)
Dunrobin Castle, near Golspie, Sutherland in Scotland

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