Heathrow opens 2019 with 27th consecutive month of record passenger figures

Heathrow Airport has enjoyed a strong start to 2019 as passenger numbers continued to climb in January.

Last months saw 5.9 million people travel through the UK’s largest airport, up 2.1% on numbers from January 2018.

The uptick, which represented Heathrow’s 27th consecutive record month, was boosted in part by passengers returning home from winter holidays.

Africa and East Asia continued to rank among the airport’s best performing regions, growing year on year by 9.7% and 5.6% respectively.

Earlier this month, Heathrow got its eight-week long consultation on Airspace & Future Operations underway, calling on the public to help shape its future airspace design.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “2019 is off to a stellar start, with more passengers choosing to use Heathrow because of our improved service and lower costs.”

According to Heathrow, its growth continues to be hampered capacity constraints – strengthening the case for the addition of a third runway.

MPs last summer backed the airport’s controversial £14bn expansion plan, clearing the way for Heathrow to submit an application for development consent.