BAA on a high as passenger traffic sets records

A record 98 million passengers travelled through BAA's seven airports last year - 4.6 per cent up on 1995 - the group announced yesterday. One of the driving forces behind the increase in traffic was a 7 per cent growth in passenger numbers at Gatwick, where Janis Kong (pictured above) is managing director. The increase to 24.6 million passengers was due in large part to the decision by British Airways to switch many of its Latin American and African flights from Heathrow to Gatwick. Stansted increased passenger numbers by 19 per cent to 4.9 million while Heathrow was up 2.4 per cent at just over 56 million. The biggest growth was in the UK-Ireland market where traffic levels rose 11 per cent to 4.5 million.

Photograph: Kalpesh Lathigra