LONDON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- London Heathrow airport announced on Monday that it handled 70 million passengers last year, hitting the highest level and up by 0.9 percent compared with 2011.
Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world, said that December was also a record month with 5.6 million passengers passing through the airport, up 2 percent.
According to the airport, Heathrow's performance in 2012 was led by North Atlantic traffic which increased by 3.2 percent.
The service was particularly weak in African and Indian traffic, down 5.7 percent and 3.4 percent respectively, due to airlines reducing or ceasing services.
The airport's cargo service was down 1.3 percent for the year as a whole.
"The figures for 2012 show Heathrow is delivering higher passenger numbers despite a tough economic climate. At the same time passenger satisfaction reached record levels," said Chief Executive for Heathrow Colin Matthews.
Matthews pledged that the airport would continue to improve the passenger experience and focus on investment program, as it moves towards completion of the new Terminal 2.
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