Heathrow witnesses a record-breaking day with 262,000 passengers

Heathrow witnessed a record breaking day: On the 4 August 2019, 262,000 passengers travelled through the terminal.

A total of 7.7 million passengers passed through the airport – nearing the capacity limit – in August, recording an increase of 0.1 per cent on figures from 2018.

However, Africa saw the most growth in August, up six per cent compared to 2018, with the market continuing to benefit from the new route to Durban and increased aircraft sizes on flights to Nigeria. Domestic flights were also up 2.7 per cent, with more passengers using the services to Newquay, Guernsey and Isle of Man at a peak time for staycations.

More than 126,000 metric tonnes of cargo made its way through the UK’s largest port by value. The top markets for cargo growth were Africa (+4.2 per cent) and the Middle East (+1.8 per cent).

Heathrow and the Department for Trade also launched 2019’s World of Opportunity competition, inviting SMEs up and down the country to apply for grants to help fund exporting.

An expansion consultation event was held almost every day in August 2019. These events give local communities the opportunity to engage with the airport’s expansion plans, ask experts about the project’s impacts and learn about the measures to help mitigate them.

Following Heathrow’s announcement to invest £50 million in CT scanners, the Department for Transport unveiled plans for all major UK airports to implement the technology which could bring an end to the 100ml liquid restrictions and potentially end the need for liquid’s bags, reducing the amount of single-use plastic attributed to aviation.

Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, said: “We are continuing to invest in future proofing Heathrow. The airport will be a testbed for ground-breaking technology like our new CT scanners to ensure that our passenger experience remains world class as numbers continue to grow. Using new technology and innovation as we deliver expansion will also demonstrate our global leadership on sustainable travel.”