London Heathrow Airport has officially marked its 80th birthday – with May seeing strong passenger demand as the public prepares for travel ahead of the Summer peak.
May passengers were down just over 1% year-on-year, with over 7.1 million people travelling through the airport.
Despite the minor drop; 22 May set a new record for the busiest day in the history of that month with 262,000 passengers travelling through the airport.
Since its first commercial flight in May 1946, Heathrow has connected almost 3 billion passengers across 22 million flights, becoming one of the world’s most significantly connected transport hubs.
The airport has stated that it will continue to invest in journey improvements throughout the future, with a new major upgrade of T4 car parks and check-in facilities now underway, the opening of new accessibility services such as an improved assistance area in T2, and a trial of autonomous wheelchairs in T3 – a UK airport first.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:Heathrow has kept Britain connected for 80 years - but today we’re operating at capacity. Demand for travel and trade is strong, and passengers want more choice, better connections and good value. But both short and long-term growth of the UK’s only hub airport is at risk if the CAA delay necessary investment.
With the Government focused on growth, our privately funded, proven, deliverable plans are ready, and the only ones that can unlock new capacity and long-term benefits for passengers and the UK.
