Heathrow6.45% S Regulatory News (88BX)

07.00 10th December 2015

Heathrow traffic and business commentary November 2015

· Heathrow welcomed 5.58 million passengers in November (up 2% on November 2014), making it the airport's busiest November to date

· Growth in passenger volumes continued to be driven by larger, fuller, quieter aircraft. Seats per aircraft increased 1.4% to 210 while load factors increased 1.9% to 72.3% and passengers per aircraft rose 3.4% to 152

· Heathrow only saw minor impacts from incidents in Europe and the Middle East with less than a 1% impact on total volumes in the month versus forecasts

· Within emerging markets, passenger volumes were particularly strong to Mexico which was up 52%, China up 19% and to the Middle East which was up 6% as carriers continue to benefit from new aircraft including A380s

· Emerging market cargo volumes at Heathrow, the UK's largest port by value, increased 1.8% over the past 12 months - notably to Mexico up 31%, Turkey up 27% and China up 3% - underlining the export growth potential an expanded Heathrow would deliver with up to 40 new long-haul connections

· In a powerful show of unity, business leaders and trade unions have urged the Government to not delay implementing the Airports Commission's recommendation. The BCC, FSB and London First as well as Labour-affiliated Unite and the TUC have written to the Prime Minister highlighting Heathrow expansion as "fundamental to securing the UK's long-term growth" and underlining the opportunity of the 180,000 new skilled jobs expansion will deliver

· 37 UK airports have declared their support for Heathrow expansion as a means to enhance domestic connectivity and drive growth in their local economies

· Senior Scottish, Welsh and South West Tories have pressed the Prime Minister to make a decision on airport capacity "in the national interest". Ruth Davidson and Andrew R. T. Davies said: "If our family of nations are to trade their way through the modern world, then we need to be able to get our goods to the markets that want to buy them. Expanding Heathrow is the best way to do this."

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"The message to the Prime Minister this week is clear - expand Heathrow and unlock growth across the country. Businesses and unions, regions and local communities, politicians from all parties want certainty and to get on with Heathrow's new plan.

We're ready to deliver the hub capacity this country needs - we will work with the government to make it happen."