Britain's Heathrow Airport says July was busiest month ever

Pipped Dubai International as the world's busiest during the first half of the year.

Heathrow Airport was the busiest in the world during the first half of 2014. Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP Photo

Britain’s biggest airport Heathrow said July was its busiest month on record with 6.97 million passengers travelling through the airport, 0.5 per cent more than in the same month last year.

Heathrow, situated west of London, is operating close to capacity, and is at the centre of a long-running political tussle over airport expansion in the south-east of England.

Passenger traffic with China grew 10.4 per cent in July, the airport said.

Heathrow pipped Dubai International Airport as the world’s busiest airport in the first half of the year. Dubai International had 34.6 million passengers pass through its gates during the first half, while Heathrow had 35.1 million.

Dubai International is expected to become the world’s busiest by early 2015.

Heathrow is owned by unlisted Heathrow Airport Holdings (HAH). Spanish infrastructure firm Ferrovial, is the largest shareholder in HAH alongside partners Qatar Holding, China Investment Corporation and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter