Flying start to the year for Heathrow airport

Heathrow has reported its busiest ever January, with 5.8 million passengers travelling through the airport.

Numbers were up by 1.1% on January last year, with increases for 15 months in a row.

Domestic flights were a key driver for growth, with UK flights up by 6.9% last month, although freight travelling through Heathrow also hit record levels, with 133,000 tonnes going through the airport in January.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "Heathrow is off to a flying start, with record passenger numbers and cargo volumes and the start of our public consultation on the third runway.

"Heathrow expansion will provide the global trading routes to supercharge Britain's economy as we leave the EU."