Record 70 million use Heathrow airport

Heathrow was used by 70 million passengers in a year for the first time in the 12 months to April, after booming demand saw planes as well as the runway busier than ever before.

It came as the UK's biggest airport – and the busiest hub in the world – saw 5.7 million passengers pass through its terminals in March, a rise of 6.9 per cent on the same month a year earlier.

Overall, BAA, the owner of Heathrow and Stansted airports plus Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Southampton, saw traffic rise 4 per cent in March.

BAA's chief executive, Colin Matthews, said: "Reaching 70 million passengers at Heathrow is a major milestone, demonstrating the resilience of the airport in an otherwise challenging economic environment."