Business and traffic commentary September 2018

07.00 11th October 2018

Students touchdown at Heathrow in September as summer draws to a close

§ Over 6.9 million passengers travelled through the UK's only hub airport in September, landing Heathrow its 23rd consecutive record month. The surge was driven by passengers returning from their summer breaks and students flocking to the UK to start the new academic year.

§ The best performer for passenger growth was North America, up 3.8%. As passengers flew direct from Heathrow to 37 destinations across the US and Canada, the airport celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first-ever transatlantic flight, a de Havilland Comet 4 to New York. North America was closely followed by South Asia (3.1%) and East Asia (1.9%).

§ Cargo volumes grew by 1.2% compared to the same time last year, with the stand out markets being key economic powerhouses - the US, China and Brazil.

§ Heathrow announced its first investment in the restoration of UK peatlands; a project which aims to restore these carbon sinks after decades of neglect. This is just one of the actions that the airport is taking to hit its goal of being carbon neutral by 2020. The move will offset of 22,427 tonnes of CO2 over 30 years - equivalent to nearly 64,000 passenger journeys from Heathrow to New York.

§ In September, Heathrow also announced that Terminal 2 is now powered by entirely renewable means: 124 solar panels on its roof, an on-site biomass boiler using locally sourced forestry waste and renewable gas and electricity supplies.

§ The latest 'Fly Quiet and Green' results saw Aer Lingus, SAS and BA (short-haul) land podium finishes in the race to be the 'quietest and greenest' from April to June this year.

§ The first local polling since the parliamentary vote on expansion revealed that support for the airport's expansion plan remains strong in local communities, with more local people supporting the plans than opposing them.

§ Heathrow announced a new expansion milestone as 37 companies progressed to the next round in the airport's search for expansion Innovation Partners.

§ Baggage handlers from Heathrow and British Airways paid tribute to legend Freddie Mercury on his birthday ahead of the upcoming release of the movie BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. Mercury worked as a baggage handler before going on to join Queen.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

"After the best summer on record, Heathrow continues to be the country's gateway for millions of people who are vital to the economy. In September, we saw travellers return home after a well-deserved summer break and international students flock to the UK eager to receive a British education."