London Luton Airport has enjoyed its busiest ever summer. The airport welcomed 5.3 million passengers between June 1st and August 31st, an increase of 7.3 per cent on the previous year. It comes as the airport announces a partnership with the new operator of the East Midlands Railway, Abellio, to bring an express train service to the airport. The service, which will launch in December next year and operate from London St Pancras once every half an hour, will cut journey times to the airport from central London. Sunspots Malaga, Barcelona, Lisbon and Palma de Mallorca all made the top ten most popular destinations, as did Tel-Aviv with 145,000 passengers heading to Israel during the summer.ADVERTISEMENTAmsterdam retained the number one spot though with a total of 198,000 passengers. Alberto Martin, chief executive of LLA, said: “The summer period is always a busy time for the airport, and this year was no exception. “Our new agreement with Abellio marks a step-change in rail connectivity between London and its fastest-growing airport, and will deliver the improved travel experience which our passengers deserve.” Older Ungerer appointed chief executive of new MSC luxury brand Let's block ads! (Why?)