ondon Luton Airport (LLA) served 1,008,184 passengers in November, a 5.6% increase when compared with the same month the previous year. It is also the first time the airport has served a million travelers in November and marks 44 months of consecutive growth at the airport.
These latest figures are further evidence of the continued and increasing demand among passengers for air travel. Separate figures from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) predict that passenger demand will double by 2050. In response, LLA is investing more than £150m (US$201m) to transform the airport and increase annual capacity by 50% to 18 million passengers by 2020.
To further enhance capacity, LLA is calling on the UK government to increase the number of trains calling at Luton Airport Parkway station to four per hour.
Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, said, “As the Transport Select Committee scrutinizes the government’s airports national policy statement, the issue of airport capacity in the South East returns to the fore. With any new runway at Heathrow at least 10-15 years away from completion, we urgently need to create the conditions for regional airports to make the most of existing capacity.
“As one of the UK’s fastest-growing airports, LLA needs a direct express-style rail service to make the most of its potential to bring benefits to passengers and the economy.”