HEATHROW Airport has increased its 2022 passenger number forecast from 45.5 million to nearly 53 million.

This 16% rise follows a “strong” April, with 5.1 million people using the west London airport.

Read more: Teesside Airport has needed a London route to fly high - is that about to change?

Heathrow said outbound leisure travellers and people cashing in airline vouchers obtained for trips cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic are driving the recovery in demand, which it expects to last throughout the summer.

The forecast means Heathrow expects passenger numbers to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels this year.

This is a “realistic assessment”, the airport insisted.

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen launched a scathing attack on the bosses of the UK's biggest airport after the direct London service had to be axed due to a sharp increase in take-off and landing fees forced provider Loganair to stop the route.

Mr Houchen accused Heathrow Airport of 'daylight robbery' for hiking its fees by 37 per cent, resulting in a charge of £30.10 per passenger, which Teesside bosses branded “impossible” to afford.

The service will come to an end in two weeks. The Teesside to Southampton route will also stop as a result of the Heathrow cancellation.

Airlines have accused Heathrow of playing down the recovery of demand as part of efforts to convince the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow it to raise fees further.

Read more: TUI warns holidaymakers ahead of return to Teesside Airport

The regulator is in the final stages of setting a five-year cap on the airport’s charges.

Heathrow expects to remain loss-making through the year and does not forecast paying dividends to shareholders in 2022.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We all want to see travel get back to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible, and, while I am encouraged by the rise in passenger numbers, we also have to be realistic.

“There are significant challenges ahead. The regulator can either plan for them with a robust and adaptable regulatory settlement that delivers for passengers and withstands any shocks, or they can prioritise airline profits by cutting back on passenger service, leaving the industry to scramble when things go wrong in future.”

Read more: Teesside Airport's London route cancelled by Loganair

Following the axing of the Teesside route, the bitter political row over the future of Teesside Airport was reignited, with politicians once again clashing.

Andy McDonald accused the Mayor of "throwing good money after bad down the Teesside Airport drain."

Stockton North Labour MP Alex Cunningham also said Mr Houchen should "deal with making sure the airport has flights and a sustainable future" rather than " announcing new gyms or gimmicks".

In response, Mr Houchen claimed the MPs always “champion bad news at Teesside” and said Labour were "calling for the defunding of Teesside airport and for it to close."

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