The number of passengers using London Luton Airport (LLA) passed 1.5 million in July; an increase of 15.4% on the previous year.
The latest passenger numbers highlight the rapidly rising demand for air travel across the South East. In response, LLA is currently investing £110 million to transform the airport and increase capacity by 50% to 18 million passengers per year by 2020.
Construction for the project is well underway with a new dual carriageway access road and multi storey car park due to open this autumn.
Looking further ahead, plans have also been confirmed for a £200million light rail link to replace the current shuttle bus between Luton Airport Parkway and the terminal. Once complete, the journey from London St Pancras to the terminal door will take less than 30 minutes, bringing LLA closer to central London than both Gatwick and Stansted.
Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, said:
“The summer holiday period is now in full swing. These latest figures show that more people are choosing to travel through LLA than ever before.
“This summer, we are employing additional staff, offering two hours free parking in the Long Term Car Park, extending our free Wi-Fi service and have installed device charging points.
“In the longer term, our £110 million redevelopment project will expand our security and immigration areas, introduce a host of new shopping and dining options and deliver major transport upgrades to make travel through LLA quicker and easier.”