Heathrow has reported an increase in passenger numbers, despite operating at full capacity.

Europe’s busiest airport hub saw 72.3 million holidaymakers pass through its doors last year, an increase of 3.4 percentage points.

Despite a stagnation in the number of flights operating at the airport, the rise in passengers came as a result of airlines rolling out bigger planes, such as the Airbus A380. As a result, the number of seats per aircraft increased by an average of 2.8 percentage points.

Heathrow chief executive officer Colin Matthews said: "Our passenger figures reflect the growing demand for the long-haul destinations only a hub airport can support." 

He added that his airport had been left to stagnate, while other transport hubs across Europe have been given the green light to expand and add new destinations.  

Heathrow also announced its flagship T5 was voted to be the world's best airport terminal for the second year running.