Airport shuttle welcomes 2.7m passengers in a year

The Easter Bunny was spotted handing out eggs to lucky passengers on the Luton Dart

An airport shuttle that King Charles travelled on has welcomed more than 2.7 million passengers in its first year of operating, exceeding its targets, a council said.

The Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) cost £290m to construct and was due to open in 2020 but became fully operational on 27 March 2023.

Paul Kehoe, from Luton Rising, the Luton Borough Council company that owned London Luton Airport (LLA), said it had "proved a huge hit with passengers" and had reduced the impact of car journeys on roads.

The driverless service ran on a 1.4-mile (2.2km) track that linked Luton Airport Parkway railway station to the terminal and took about three minutes.

The Luton Dart is located a short walk away from the main airport terminal

Mr Kehoe said Luton Rising made an "£7.4m annual contribution to local voluntary, community and charitable organisations".

He added that "every passenger using London Luton Airport, and the Luton DART, means more support for services in Luton and vulnerable people".

Alberto Martin, chief executive of LLA, said: "The DART is playing a hugely important role in transforming LLA’s connectivity, making the end-to-end passenger experience from train to plane even more simple, friendly and convenient."

King Charles III was able to ride the Dart before it fully opened to passengers

The Dart saw its one millionth passenger in August 2023 and its two millionth passenger over Christmas, the council added.

The King was given a special trip on the DART during his visit to the town on 6 December 2022.