London Heathrow airport handled 1.54milllion tonnes of cargo in 2016, three per cent more than in 2015, after finishing the year on a high note, handling 133,641 tonnes in December, a 5.1 per cent increase on the back of growth to emerging market destinations.
In December air freight volumes to Brazil rose by 18.6 per cent, India was up 12.1 per cent and China up 8.3 per cent said a spokesperson, London's Air Cargo News.
Heathrow chief John Holland-Kaye said: "Increasing Britain's trade with the rest of the world or securing Government support for expansion Heathrow is Britain's airport and we will continue to help all of our country thrive for decades to come."
Elsewhere in Europe, German hub Cologne saw 2016 full year volumes up 3.7 per cent to 786,000 tonnes, with Belgian gateways Liege and Brussels seeing tonnages up by 1.7 per cent and 1.1 per cent to 660,665 tonnes and 495,000 tonnes respectively, with Milan's Malpensa airport recording an 8.8 per cent rise to 544,000 tonnes.