Thursday 13 October 2016 2:49 pm

Luton Airport hits the 14 million passenger mark

Luton Airport has reached another milestone – 14 million passengers have flown through the airport in the past 12 months.

September marked its 30th consecutive month of passenger growth. There was a 15.6 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. In total a record 1.4m passengers chose to fly from London Luton Airport (LLA) last month.

That followed it reaching the 13 million mark in April, when passenger numbers jumped by 17 per cent year-on-year.

To cope with the growing demand, LLA is undertaking a £110m redevelopment project which will increase annual capacity by 50 per cent to 18 million passengers by 2020.

Construction is going on currently – the airport has already opened a new security search area and executive lounge. The airport's transport links are also being upgraded with a new dual carriageway to the terminal to open later this winter.

A new light rail link between Luton Airport Parkway station and the terminal will be up and running in 2020, according to Luton Borough Council.

Luton's chief executive Nick Barton said: "Reaching this huge milestone is a fantastic endorsement from our passengers as they continue to choose to fly with us. Demand for air travel at LLA is at an all-time high which is an indicator of the timely nature of our transformation project. We're working hard to deliver our £110m redevelopment and create an airport that exceeds our passengers' expectations."

In terms of the capital's airports, Luton is fourth in size – behind Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. It handled 12.3m passengers last year, making up eight per cent of London's total, but is has been the fastest growing of them too – putting on 40 per cent more passengers in the past five years.

In August, the RAC said that Luton was the most expensive of the UK's 20 busiest airports for parking fees, charging a £7 for 40 minutes.