British exports through London Heathrow are continuing to grow at an unforeseen rate, with the volume of cargo flying out of the UK airport up 12% in April compared to the previous year.
Exports to Latin America grew by 27% and 19% to South Asia, growing at least twice as fast as volumes to Europe, which were still up 11%. North America remains Britain’s most important export market from Heathrow, recording a 14% cargo growth in April.
Elsewhere, the airport welcomed over 6 million passengers in April, in part thanks to a busy Easter period, and was up 11% on April 2016. The Middle East climbed 22% on the back of more A380 planes and new services like Tehran, Iran, while North America rose 10% after higher load factors.
New York and Dubai were Heathrow’s most popular international destinations in April, with the routes welcoming nearly 500,000 travelers. Passengers also took advantage of new Scottish routes, with Flybe’s services to Aberdeen and Edinburgh boosting domestic volumes by 19,000 last month.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said, “Heathrow had a bumper April – growth in 2017 has been faster than most expected, reinforcing the need for more capacity at the nation’s hub.
“Britain’s exports outside the EU are thriving and with Heathrow expansion opening up to 40 new long-haul trading links, the scale of the opportunity across the globe is tremendous. We’re working around-the-clock to deliver Britain’s new runway and secure the country’s future as a global trading powerhouse.”