NFL boost: North American passengers drive touchdowns at Heathrow as airplanes fill up

Nearly 150,000 more passengers travelled to and from North America through Heathrow in October, as American football teams hit the capital.

The number of North American travellers increased 9.1 per cent, making up half of the over 300,000 more people who came through the airport's gate last month.

As the NFL came to London, organisers added two rows of seating in Wembley to fit in the 85,870 people who showed up to see the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It is unclear how many fans travelled from the US.

Meanwhile, passengers from the US and Canada will have an easier time in Heathrow from next year as the government will let them, and New Zealanders, Australians and Japanese, use the airport’s e-gates.

Numbers grew in all regions at Heathrow, apart from to the Middle East, which flatlined at 604,000 in October.

Overall, passenger figures increased 4.4 per cent to almost 7m, driven by larger and fuller planes.

The EU – Heathrow’s largest market – added 4.2 per cent more passengers compared to the same month last year.

Good growth to Brazil and China was, however, not enough to prevent a decline in cargo operations.

Over 150,000 metric tonnes of cargo were shipped through Heathrow, a reduction of 2.9 per cent, driven largely by a 5.2 per cent fall in shipments to and from North America.

The month has also marked one year since the airport got a living wage accreditation.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye encouraged other businesses to follow suit: “When colleagues earn enough to support their families, they provide better customer service and this has contributed to record numbers of passengers choosing to travel through Heathrow this year.”