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Jun 11, 2018 10:26 BST London Luton Airport calls for improved rail links following busiest ever May

1,498,281 passengers travelled through London Luton Airport (LLA) in May, a 3.6% increase compared to May last year. This is the 16th consecutive month that over one million passengers have passed through the airport and represents LLA’s busiest ever May.

This continued demand reinforces LLA’s calls to improve rail access to Luton Airport Parkway station. LLA’s current £160million redevelopment project has the potential to unlock much-needed air capacity in the South East, but better rail links are needed for LLA to reach its full potential.

The renewal of the rail franchise offers a chance to address this, and the Department for Transport’s recently-published invitation to tender (ITT) highlights the importance of improving air rail links to both LLA and East Midlands Airport. LLA is calling on bidders for the franchise to include four fast trains per hour between Luton Airport Parkway and central London. Not only will this increase the proportion of passengers travelling by rail, it can also be achieved with no capital expenditure.

Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, said: “The Cabinet’s recent approval of the third at Heathrow will not solve London’s capacity problems alone. Regional airports need to be able to meet their full potential, and improved rail links are essential to achieving that. The DfT has recognised that in the East Midlands rail franchise and we hope the bidding rail companies will seize this once-in-a-decade opportunity to improve rail services for passengers and help ease the UK’s capacity crunch.” London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s largest airports and carried more than 16 million passengers in 2018, The airport employs over 9,400 staff and is a key economic driver for the region. easyJet, Wizz Air, , , Tui, EL AL, Blue Air, TAROM, SunExpress, Iberia (Air Nostrum) and Vueling currently operate from the airport. The airport’s route network serves more than 140 destinations including services to Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The airport is operated and developed by a consortium of which the majority shareholder is AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, and AMP Capital, a specialist global investment manager.

LLA has invested over £160million to transform the airport and increase capacity from 12 million to 18 million passengers per year by 2020. The redevelopment included a complete redesign of the terminal, bringing in new and exciting shops and restaurants and major upgrades to transport links, including better road access to the M1, new car parking facilities, a remodelled bus and coach interchange and improved rail links to Luton Airport Parkway station. In addition, plans for a new £200 million light rail system linking the airport with Luton Airport Parkway station have been announced and are anticipated to be completed by 2021. The project is being delivered by the airport owners, LLAL – a company owned by Luton Borough Council.