LONDON (Reuters) -The number of passengers passing through British airports in April to June rose to a record 81 million, beating the pre-pandemic high for the period, Britain’s aviation regulator said on Thursday, in the latest sign of growing demand for travel.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the total for the first six months of the year was 141 million passengers, after second-quarter figures jumped 3% from a year earlier.
Dublin, Amsterdam, and the Spanish tourist hotspots of Palma de Mallorca and Alicante were the top destinations, the CAA said, adding it was expecting a record July-September period – the peak summer travel season.
The growing demand for air travel comes as the government seeks to expand the country’s two biggest airports, No.1 hub Heathrow, and Gatwick, both close to London.
Both expansion projects face opposition from local residents and environmental groups, who say that adding flights will derail the country’s target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
But the government says airlines’ increased use of sustainable aviation fuel means expansion is possible within targets.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
