London Luton Airport (LLA) enjoyed another busy summer, welcoming over 2.3 million passengers over the school holidays (Monday 22nd July - Monday 2nd September). 

Friday 23rd August was LLA’s busiest day of the summer, with over 60,000 passengers passing through the airport.  

With over 130 destinations to choose from, LLA was the starting point for families and friends heading off to range of summer holiday and city break destinations, with the airport's data underlining the continuing trend for ‘culture vultures’ to plan trips around specific European sporting and cultural events - as predicted in the airport’s top 10 travel trends for 2024.

Paris, always a popular summer city break destination, was a notable example, as the 2024 Olympics attracted a 2.3% uplift* in passengers flying to the City of Love. The Edinburgh Festival also proved a big pull, with almost 35,000 passengers flying to Scotland’s capital city during the August festival period. 

Upward trends were also recorded for Amsterdam ahead of the Lowlands Festival (August 16 -17) and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour saw ‘swifties’ heading off to various European destinations, while her eight-night run of London dates also saw fans from across Europe arriving at LLA.

Athens, Barcelona, Bucharest and Lisbon were among the other top city break destinations, while popular holiday destinations included Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Faro, Alicante, Larnaca and Antalya. 

Recently crowned Best European Airport of the Year (10-25 million passengers) by ACI EUROPE, LLA successfully completed the £20 million refurbishment of its security hall ahead of the summer, becoming one of the first major UK airports to offer the benefits of next generation security scanners, including faster processing times for passengers.

Passengers jetting off from LLA also had the option to use the airport’s newly opened Express Drop Off, providing even greater convenience for those wishing to be dropped off directly in front of the terminal entrance.

Clare Armstrong, Head of Guest Experience at London Luton Airport, commented: “Summer is always an exciting time at London Luton Airport and this year was no exception as we saw people heading off to kickstart their summer getaway. The impact of the summer festival season was clear to see and our teams were delighted to share the excitement of fans heading off to concerts and events across Europe.

“As ever, our focus was on delivering a consistently simple and friendly passenger experience. The unveiling of our next-generation security scanners, the opening of our new Express Drop Off and the launch of our new Pre-Book Security service, allowing passengers to book security time slots in advance, were all timed perfectly for the summer holidays.”

Passengers flying from LLA this summer were also able to enjoy an expanded range of dining choices following the recent opening of a second new passenger lounge and the arrival of Indian street-food specialist Chaiiwala – the café chain’s first UK airport site. 

Meanwhile, work continues on Sanfords, a striking new 500-seat, two-storey restaurant that is set to open in the LLA departure lounge ahead of Easter 2025.

-Ends-  

Notes for Editors 

** Comparing passenger numbers to Paris from Saturday 13th July to Sunday 21st July 2024, vs Saturday 27th July to Sunday 4th August 2024

** Pre-Book is currently running on a trial basis and is available for passengers arriving at security between 03.00 and 04.30. Passengers can pre-book the service from 4 days (and up to 60 minutes) before arrival at LLA Security (subject to availability)

About London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s busiest airports, carrying over 16.2 million passengers in 2023. The airport is operated by a consortium, of which the majority shareholder is AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, and InfraBridge, a leading infrastructure investment manager. Airlines include easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Tui, FlyOne, Sun Express and El Al.

The Luton Airport Express is a new dedicated train service that allows passengers to travel from central London to the LLA terminal in around 30 minutes. The Luton Airport Express runs from St Pancras International to Luton Airport Parkway station and connects seamlessly with the DART, an electrically powered people mover that connects to the airport terminal in less than four minutes.

In 2024, LLA was named European Airport of the Year (10-25 million passengers) by ACI EUROPE. This followed being named as the UK’s best airport by readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller magazine in 2023.

Last year, LLA also became only the third major UK airport to achieve Level 4 of the globally recognised Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, demonstrating that it is ‘transforming its operations to achieve carbon reductions in line with global climate goals’. With a maximum score of 100 and a five-star rating, LLA has been ranked as a sector leader for two consecutive years in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) benchmark of sustainability governance management and performance of major infrastructure assets worldwide.

To learn about the progress London Luton Airport is making across its sustainability programme please click here.

Further information on London Luton Airport can be found here: https://www.london-luton.co.uk/

Contact Details:

London Luton Airport Press Office
T: 01582 395333
E: pressoffice@ltn.aero

London Luton Airport – PR agency:
E: LLA@tinmancomms.com

URL: https://mediahub.london-luton.co.uk/news/11092024/-headline-news--7