Left: Luton Airport’s proposed light rail link between Luton Airport Parkway station and the airport terminal
Passenger numbers at London Luton Airport (LLA) grew by 17.6% in May 2016 compared with the same month last year, marking 26 months of consecutive growth for the UK airport. LLA also recorded its busiest day in its 78-year history on May 27, 2016, when 50,564 passengers passed through the airport.
To meet sustained customer demand LLA is investing £110m (US$156m) to increase the annual capacity by 50%, from 12 to 18 million passengers, by 2020. Plans have also been confirmed for a light rail link between Luton Airport Parkway station and the airport terminal, replacing the current bus service. Once the new link is complete, the journey from London St Pancras train station to the terminal will take less than 30 minutes.
Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, said, “Our ambitious redevelopment project is crucial for meeting the consistently high levels of demand for air travel we’re seeing in the Southeast – our record-breaking May is testament to this. As we wait for a decision from the government about a new runway, LLA is playing its part when it comes to addressing this demand in the short to medium term.”
