Heathrow passengers up 2.2% last year compared to 2014; ATMs up 0.3%; air cargo down 0.2%

Date added: 11 January, 2016

Nearly 75 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in 2015, an increase of 2.2% on 2014 and the airport’s highest ever number of annual passengers.The number of flights (air transport movements) was up 0.3% on 2014. The number of seats per aircraft increased by 2.1% to 209, and passengers per aircraft rose to 1.9% to 160. But the average load factor remained constant at 76.5%. (For 2013, Heathrow said its average load factor was 76.4%, and average number of passengers per aircraft was 154.8).  At the end of 2015, over 20 daily A380 departures and arrivals were operated by eight airlines  “Heathrow continued to play a leading role in helping Britain’s exports reach global markets, with the UK’s largest port by value recording cargo volumes of 1.5 million metric tonnes for the year.”  That is Heathrow’s way of saying the cargo tonnage fell by 0.2% in 2015 compared with 2014. Heathrow says “emerging markets continued to be a driver of traffic growth at Heathrow”, with passenger volumes up 8% to Latin America and 6% to the Middle East. They also say passenger volumes during 2015 were up 14% to China. That’s confusing, as the increase in passengers to the “Asia/Pacific” area, which includes China, only rose by 0.3% for the year. Heathrow itself admits it has terminal capacity for 90 million passengers, so at 75 million, it is not “full”. The Airports Commission said that would not happen till 2030.
.
Tweet

Heathrow’s press release with its 2015 figures is at 

http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/5492

`Full’ Heathrow Adds 1.6 Million Passengers Aided by Bigger Jets

By Kari Lundgren (Bloomberg Business)
January 11, 2016

– Europe’s biggest hub boosts tally 2.2% to almost 75 million
– Planes using crowded London airport now average 209 seats

London’s Heathrow Airport, which has operated close to the capacity of its two runways since the start of the decade, boosted passenger numbers to just short of 75 million last year as airlines deployed bigger jets to beat the cap on flights.

Europe’s busiest hub added 1.6 million passengers, a 2.2 percent gain, even as plane movements increased just 0.3 percent, it said in a statement Monday. By the year’s end, more than 20 Airbus Group SE A380 superjumbos were landing every day, helping to lift the average number of seats per flight to 209.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has delayed a decision on whether to allow the construction of a third runway at Heathrow until after London’s mayoral election later this year. The airport says it needs a new strip to lift passenger numbers above 135 million by 2050, while opponents say the 18 billion-pound ($26 billion) plan is too costly and will increase noise in a heavily urban area.

Flights to the Persian Gulf states — home to some of the world’s largest international carriers — as well as emerging markets were among the main drivers of growth in 2015, Heathrow said. Passenger volumes rose 14 percent on routes to China and 8 percent to Latin America. The airport handled 1.5 million metric tons of cargo.

Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said in the statement that Heathrow’s expansion plan will make Britain “the best connected country in the world.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-11/-full-heathrow-adds-1-6-million-passengers-aided-by-bigger-jets

.

The Airports Commission said:

“The current terminals have capacity for 90 million passengers per annum, which will thus be constrained by 2030, although there are long-term investment plans in place to increase this to provide sufficient capacity to support up to 95 million passengers.”

page 24 of Business Case and Sustainability Assessment – Heathrow Airport Northwest Runway https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440315/business-case-and-sustainability-assessment.pdf   in July 2015

.

The opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport’s terminal capacity to 90 million passengers per year.

See earlier

Heathrow claims “larger, fuller, quieter” planes – but load factor still just 70 – 76%

February 23, 2015

Heathrow says it had its busiest ever January with 5.45 million passengers travelling through the airport’s terminals. But the figures mask a decline in the number of flight movements and planes are still flying on average one third empty. There were about 37,130 air transport movements (commercial flights) using Heathrow in January, compared to 4 earlier years when there were over 39,000 flights. The reason why Heathrow can increase its number of passengers, with fewer flights is having more passengers per flight.  Heathrow’s own figures show a lower number of flights at the airport contrasts with its claims that lack of hub capacity is “a ticking time bomb”.  While the central premise of the airport’s drive for expansion has been its claim that it is 98% full, aircraft movements actually fell by 0.8% last month compared to January 2014. Details of Passengers by Market show growth in numbers of passengers to and from emerging economies. However, overall the load factor (the % of the seats in the plane are used) are far lower at Heathrow than many other UK airports, with 70.1% in January. Over recent months, the load factor was 71.3% in November, and about 76% in October and December 2014.  It was 76.4% for the full year 2013 and 75% in 2012.  Heathrow will say, if there is a fall in numbers, that this means it is losing ground to other hubs, and if they rise, it reinforces their case for new hub capacity.

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2015/02/heathrow-claims-larger-fuller-quieter-planes-but-load-factor-still-just-70-76/

.

Data from Heathrow statistics at

http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/investor-centre/results-and-performance/traffic-statistics

Murad Qureshi on how Heathrow is expanding passenger numbers, but BAA don’t want Londoners to know it

May 30, 2012

In his blog, Murad Qureshi (Chair of the Environment Committee, of the London Assembly) writes that after a week of BAA propaganda last week in the pages of the Evening Standard you would be forgiven for thinking that Heathrow is not expanding – but it is!  It may not be by the number of flights coming in and out of Heathrow but it certainly is by passenger numbers.  The A380s have around 500 passengers each. At present Heathrow turns over 69 million passengers annually and once the redevelopment and construction of the five terminals are complete,  it will be able to cope with 90 million passengers a year.  This capacity is not something we hear about often but the fact is that Heathrow will be able to deal an extra  20 million  passengers annually!  This point is made well by AirportWatch yesterday in a letter to the Financial Times. 

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2012/05/murad-heathrow/

.

Richmond Heathrow Campaign say Heathrow does not need to be expanded to better service more passengers, and to more destinations

June 11, 2013

The Richmond Heathrow Campaign have made a submission to the Airports Commission on making best short and medium term use of Heathrow. Increasing the seating capacity of the air fleet using Heathrow would facilitate full use of Heathrow’s terminal capacity of 90 million passengers a year (current use is around 70 million). They say Heathrow can be improved, and the amount of aircraft noise caused by Heathrow flights reduced, if there is a (1). More even distribution of aircraft movements across each hour of the day to avoid disruption and delay in peak hours and to end night flights.   (2). Increase the seating capacity of the Heathrow air fleet (i.e. more larger aircraft and fewer small aircraft), in order to increase the number of passengers per aircraft movement within the 480,000 movements limit operating in unbroken segregated mode.  (3). Reverse the strategy of attracting ever more transfer passengers to Heathrow, in order to free up terminal and aircraft capacity for more terminating passengers within the legal limit of 480,000 movements limit operating in unbroken segregated mode.  The Campaign says reducing 20 million transfers a year would free up runway capacity in whole or in part for around 140,000 flights a year from over-subscribed destinations to new destinations. There is a similar improvement as loads are increased from 149 to 187 passengers per flight.

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2013/06/rhc-heathrow-numbers/

Posted: Monday, January 11th, 2016. Filed in General News, News about Airports, Recent News.