Heathrow6.45% S Regulatory News (88BX)

07.00 11 March 2015

Heathrow traffic and business commentary February 2015

· Heathrow saw another record month in February with 4.95 million passengers travelling through the UK's only hub airport, an increase of 1.1% on February 2014

· Operating at capacity, passenger growth at Heathrow was primarily driven by larger, quieter aircraft deployed at the airport. Seats per aircraft increased 1.8% to 205.1 while load factors remained at 69.3% and passengers per aircraft rose 1.7% to 142.1

· Emerging markets continued to perform strongly, with passenger volumes increasing 23.5% to China, 14.9% to Mexico and 10.9% to Brazil in addition to robust performance on North American segments where volumes increased 4.3%

· Heathrow continued to be a hub of choice for the transfer passengers that make such long-haul routes viable, with year-on-year volumes up a significant 5.0%

· Cargo volumes recorded strong growth of 7.7% overall, with Mexico up 35.1%, India up 14.8%, Brazil up 13.6%, North America up 13.3% and Turkey up 9.2%

· Heathrow launched the Best for Britain, Backed by Britain report detailing how an additional runway at the UK's only hub will deliver more jobs and economic growth and highlighting the increasing local support and backing across all of the UK's nations and regions

· Almost exactly a year after the announcement of the only direct flight between the UK and Bogota, Heathrow sponsored a London Chamber of Commerce trade mission to Bogota, led by the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP. It saw businesses meet with potential trading partners from South America's fastest growing economy.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"We were delighted to support British businesses by sponsoring the trade mission to Colombia, a year after Avianca announced its direct service from Heathrow to Bogota. Now British businesses are calling for direct flights to other important South American cities - Santiago, Lima, even Medellin. These routes can only be sustained through a hub airport, so the choice is to expand Heathrow or force British business people to transfer through Paris or Madrid, handing a competitive advantage to Britain's European rivals. Heathrow expansion - staying connected - is now urgent. It's time to get on with it. "