A recovery in business travel has helped boost passenger numbers at BAA’s UK airports.
The operator today posted a 3.4% rise in total passenger numbers for October to 9.75 million at its six airports, compared to October 2009.
It said the increase was helped by a 1.2% increase in the number of flights.
Heathrow saw a 6% increase in flights and a 1% increase in passenger load factors, with an average 77.2% of seats occupied.
Passenger numbers at Heathrow increased by 7.2% to 6.1 million.
Heathrow saw a 10.6% increase in passengers travelling to Europe, signaling that the region’s recovery is beginning to stabilise.
Key routes included Geneva up 59.9%, Milan up 30.1%, Moscow up 27.5% and Berlin up 25.6%.
Trips between Heathrow and China and Hong Kong increased by 16.1% to 173,000.
BAA said the increase came even though the hub’s limited capacity means it can only directly serve two destinations in China compared to three from Paris, four from Frankfurt and five from Amsterdam.
Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, said: “The continued strength of Heathrow reflects an upturn in global economic activity.
“Low sterling and interest rates make the UK a competitive place to do business.
“However, government spending cuts, a sharp increase in air passenger duty and an imminent VAT rise are weakening the prospects for in-bound tourism and British leisure travel.”
Trips between all BAA airports and North America increased by 7.5% to 1.43 million while other long-haul journeys increased by 3.2%, to 1.84 million.
Amongst BAA’s other airports, Edinburgh rose 3.5% to 854,000 – the encouraging performance attributable in part to an increase in business traffic.
Southampton rose by 1.0% to 157,000, boosted by European traffic.
BAA blamed a depressed leisure market on a fall in passenger numbers at Stansted by 3.1% to 1.72 million.
But it did not provide an explanation for a drop at both Glasgow (down 7.4% to 662,000) and Aberdeen (down 5% to 264,000).
By Bev Fearis
