Heathrow passenger numbers little changed in July

Europe's busiest airport Heathrow said passenger numbers were broadly flat in July, which it put down to capacity constraints.

Heathrow said 7.98m passengers travelled through its terminals last month, compared with 7.980m during the same month a year earlier. Heathrow also said its busiest day was 1 August, with 270,869 passengers passing through its doors.

The West London airport has reported year-on-year passenger growth of just 0.2% year-to-date, with its two runways being used at almost full capacity.

Last week, Heathrow unveiled plans to build a third, full-length, which it said would enable it to run an additional 276,000 flights per year, up from 480,000 to 756,000.

Heathrow also believes it will be able to meet Westminster's ambition of securing planning consent by 2029, with the new runway set to be operational within a decade.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: "We continue to break records as Europe's largest and most punctual hub - adding value for our airline partners and passengers," he said.

"To build on this success, we've set out a 100% privately financed plan to expand Heathrow, deliver extraordinary service, create wider and better choices for our customers, and grow the UK economy," he added.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com