Passenger numbers soar to 1.5m at London Luton Airport
London Luton Airport has hit a new milestone after experiencing its busiest September ever with more than 1.5m passengers travelling through it last month.
It marks the 20th consecutive month that the London-based airport has welcomed more than 1m passengers and represents a 3.9 per cent increase on the same month last year as demand continues to grow.
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To cope, the airport is undergoing a £160m redevelopment, which will increase its annual passenger capacity to 18m per year by its completion in 2020.
In 2017 15.8m people used the airport, an 8.6 per cent increase on the year before as the new terminal begins to take shape.
Within it, the airport has doubled the number of restaurants and shops available, welcoming 30 new stores like Chanel, Oliver Bonas and Hugo Boss, as well as opening a new boarding pier to accommodate new routes from their airline partners.
Chief executive Nick Barton said: “Passenger demand for air travel continues to grow, and our transformation will both help to meet this while making journeys easier, smoother and quicker.
“The opening of the terminal marks an important new chapter in our history, and the benefits will be felt by our passengers, staff and local community alike.”
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The airport will also soon boast new rail links to Luton Airport Parkway station but will remain the only one in the capital without a direct express train.
It has asked the government to introduce four trains per hour to the airport as part of a refranchising of the East Midlands rail line.