London Luton experienced its busiest ever year in 2018, as 16.6 million passengers used the airport.

The figure is a five per cent increase compared with the previous year.

For the month of December, the airport welcomed over 1.26 million passengers, a 19.7 per cent increase on December 2017.

In its record year, LLA marked the official opening of its £160 million redevelopment project, which will increase capacity by 50 per cent to 18 million by 2020.

The newly-upgraded terminal was opened in December by transport secretary, Chris Grayling, and features 48 new shops and restaurants, including Chanel and Oliver Bonas’ first-ever airport outlet.

The transformation also added 3,000 more seats, a new boarding pier and upgraded transport links.

Passengers in 2019 will further benefit from the extension of the Oyster and contactless card system on train services between London and the airport.

Work is also continuing on the Direct Air Rail Transit, which will replace the current shuttle bus between Luton Airport Parkway station and the terminal.

Alberto Martin, chief executive of LLA, said: “Last year was a landmark year for LLA as we welcomed more passengers than ever before, celebrated our 80th anniversary, and opened our newly-upgraded terminal.

“As we enter the New Year, we will work hard to ensure that the benefits of our transformation are felt by our passengers, staff and the local community in the years ahead.”