Cargo volumes at Heathrow Airport have grown for the 20th consecutive month, with volumes increasing 1.5 per cent in March.

During March, 150,565 tonnes of air cargo passed through Heathrow Airport, with the strongest growth on routes to the USA and Japan.

From January to March cargo volumes increased 4.3 per cent to 416,734 tonnes and on a rolling 12-month basis from April 2017 to March 2018, it increased 9.4 per cent to 1.7 million tonnes.

Heathrow Airport chief executive officer, John Holland-Kaye says: “The booming growth in passenger numbers and cargo, particularly from emerging markets, underpins the urgency to secure Britain’s economic future with a third runway at Heathrow – which has now been backed by the cross-party Transport Select Committee.”

The airport gained new links to growing Chinese cities, with Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines providing connections to Changsha and Xi’an.

Qantas began direct services between Perth and Heathrow, offering a direct link between the UK and Australia.

The UK government’s Transport Select Committee also announced backing of the northwest runway at Heathrow, laying the groundwork for the parliamentary vote in the summer.