BA/bmi merger boosts Heathrow numbers
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bmi’s integration into British Airways helped Heathrow post its record passenger numbers for March at 5.9 million.
The airport’s passenger numbers increased 3.9% compared to March 2012 with its average load factor up 2.4% to 75.8%.
It has attributed the merger between bmi and BA to the rise in figures, which saw European traffic go up 7.4% and flights to BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China) up 5.1%.
Heathrow plans to open a new Terminal 2 in summer 2014 and will plug GBP3 billion over the next five years.
Earlier this week Gatwick Airport announced a 2.5% increase in traffic for March, carrying 2.5 million people.
It was its’ highest March in five years with the rise said to have come from the early Easter break and its new routes. Gatwick’s load factors sat at 83.1%, up 3.2%.
“Today, passengers can fly direct to Beijing, Istanbul, Moscow and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam from Gatwick. Later this year, we will be opening up the country’s first direct route to Jakarta in Indonesia. This is important in the context of ensuring the UK has the international connectivity it needs to remain globally competitive,” said Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick.