BAA reports strong growth in January

Air passenger numbers showed a significant increase in January, according to the airports operator BAA. The company, which runs Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, said passenger figures in January were 4.8% up over the same month last year, totalling some 9.3 million. Long-haul traffic growth was particularly impressive, increasing by some 10% over last year, when the Sars virus was reducing traffic numbers significantly and there was considerable nervousness over the war in Iraq. The group said numbers travelling to North America were up 2.3%, while there was also an increase of 1.6% for European charter traffic after several months in reverse gear. The airport that saw the biggest growth was Southampton, which saw figures grow by an amazing 84% following sharp growth at the no-frills carrier FlyBe. Stansted also did well, recording a 14.8% increase in passenger numbers. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad