Following a record number of passengers in May, Luton airport has renewed its plea to improve rail access to Luton Airport Parkway station.
The airport saw a 3.6 per cent increase in traffic compared to May 2017, seeing nearly 1.5 million passengers. It is the 16th consecutive month that more than 1 million people travelled through the airport.
Luton airport claims its £160 million redevelopment project could add air capacity in the South East, but says better transport links are needed to allow it to reach its full potential. It says the renewal of the East Midlands rail franchise highlights the importance of increasing links to both Luton and East Midlands airports.
The airport is calling on bidders for the franchise to include at least four fast trains per hour between its station and central London, claiming this can be achieved with “no capital expenditure”.
Nick Barton, CEO of Luton airport, commented: “The cabinet’s recent approval of the third runway 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.”
