Last month’s royal wedding led to a surge in passengers using Heathrow, with numbers up by more than 3% to a record 6.7 million for the month.
Arrivals from the US saw passenger numbers on flights from North America rise by 5% to almost 1.6 million over May last year.
Domestic flights also saw an uplift, boosted 5.5% to 426,000 as more passengers flew between the London hub and Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford.
However, numbers travelling to the Middle East fell by 5.7% year-on-year to 529,000 and Asia Pacific numbers also dropped
SAS and LOT Polish Airlines were rated as the best performers in the airport’s latest ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ results, with the latter moving from the lowest spot on the league to second place.
The figures were published in the wake of the government announced plans to hold a vote in Parliament within weeks on Heathrow’s third runway plans.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We have a robust plan to expand Britain’s hub airport, unlocking billions in growth and creating tens of thousands of new skilled jobs – from Plymouth to Perth and Swansea to Southend.
“With strong cross-party support and a united voice from business and unions – MPs must finally seize the opportunity to expand Heathrow and secure a prosperous future for all of Britain.”