Heathrow pax up 6%, cargo down 6%; growth across all regions

UK's Heathrow reported (12-Aug-2013) a 5.5% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers to 6.9 million in Jul-2013, with the growth attributable to lower traffic in Jul-2012 as a result of the timing of the London Olympics. Load factor increased 1.7 ppt to 82.8%. East Asia traffic increased 18.9%, largely as a result of increases in capacity. Latin American traffic increased 5.9% while traffic to/from BRIC economies increased 8.7%, with notable growth for China (+22.2%) and India (+10.8%). European traffic continued to be affected by British Airways' integration with BMI, up 8.9%, including growth in Italy (+21.1%), France (+17.4%), Norway (+17.4%) and Germany (+16.4%). Commenting on its results, Heathrow CEO Colin Matthews said "our passenger figures underline the UK's urgent need for a single hub airport with the capacity to meet the demand for links to emerging economies, adding "the best solution for taxpayers, passengers and business is to build on the strength we already have at Heathrow." Cargo traffic continued to decline, falling by 6% during the month. [more - original PR]