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Busiest September on record for Heathrow

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Heathrow has had its busiest September on record with 6.58 million passengers using the airport, up 0.3% on the same month last year.

The growth was said to be driven by airlines introducing larger, fuller and quieter aircraft.

Seats per aircraft increased 0.4% to 204.8, while load factors increased 1.1 percentage points to 81%. Passengers per aircraft rose 1.5% to 165.9.

Within emerging markets, passenger volumes increased 17.6% to Mexico, 14.9% to China and 10.3% to Brazil.

Two independent polls underlined growing support for Heathrow’s expansion amongst MPs and local residents.

A majority of MPs now support an additional runway at Heathrow, with 91% of those who support also believing it will secure parliamentary approval.

Local residents are also more in favour of expansion at Heathrow, with 49% supporting an additional runway and 32% opposing, according to the airport.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “September saw growing support from MPs and local residents for expansion at Heathrow as the best solution to the UK’s hub capacity crisis.

“Heathrow handles a quarter of all British exports by value, but is full. More and more people are asking ‘how can we double Britain’s exports if we don’t expand Heathrow’.”

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