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Airport looks to maintain growth rate after record year

The airport welcomed a total 15.7 million passengers in 2017 and 2018 is set to be another exciting year, with the airport celebrating its 80th anniversary and marking crucial milestones in its transformation.

This includes the official opening of the newly extended terminal building and a new boarding pier with eight new boarding gates.

More nnew routes are also due to launch, including eight by Wizz Air following its increased presence at the airport. The airline is to fly for the first time to Athens, Larnaca, Keflavik and Bari.

easyJet, the airline with the biggest presence at London Luton,has announced five new routes including to the Italian city of Genoa and Reus in Spain.

Passenger demand for air travel in the South East continues to soar, says the airport. It is investing £150 million to increase its annual capacity by 50% by 2020.

However, airport chiefs say that improved rail links are vital in order to provide this additional capacity and have been calling for four fast trains per hour to stop at Luton Airport Parkway station as part of the new East Midlands Rail Franchise.

Doing so would help to free up much-needed capacity, they argue, as well as providing an economic boost to the local area and the UK as a whole.

London Luton chief executive Nick Barton  said: “2017 has been another record breaker at LLA, and we look forward to welcoming even more passengers as we enter our 80th year.

"Throughout 2018, passengers will see the airport transformed as we officially open our new terminal and reach the first phase of construction for the Mass Passenger Transit system which will replace the current shuttle bus and create a rapid link between the train station and the terminal.

“However, this is only part of the solution to better public transport links and is why we continue to call on the government for four fast trains per hour between central London and Luton Airport Parkway.” 


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