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Relaxnews
, Last Updated: 10:41 AM ET
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If Heathrow Airport seemed busier and more crowded than ever last year, that’s because the British hub saw a record-breaking 73.4 million flyers pass through its corridors in 2014, up 1.4 percent from the year previous.
Driving the growth in foot traffic was increased travel to markets like Latin America, East Asia, and the Middle East and Central Asia.
Traffic from Heathrow to Latin America, for instance, grew 6.3 percent in 2014, while the number of people flying to East Asia from the London airport grew 5.2 percent and 3.5 percent to the Middle East and Central Asia.
China recorded the largest increase among emerging markets, growing 15 percent in passenger volume compared to last year, followed by Mexico (11 percent) and Middle East and Central Asia (4 percent).
Also contributing to a record year was the transit of larger aircraft with higher loads: Seats per aircraft increased 0.6 percent to 209, while the average number of passengers per aircraft rose 0.4 percent to 160 in 2014.
For comparison, the world’s busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, saw 94.4 million travelers pass through its corridors in 2013, the latest figures available from the Airports Council International.
After the Georgia airport, the Beijing Capital International Airport saw 83.7 million passengers transiting through the Chinese hub.
In terms of international passenger traffic, Heathrow was the busiest international airport in 2013, with 67.3 million flyers.
