BAA handle increased number of passengers

BAA's six UK airports handled an increased number of passengers last month, it was announced today.

Heathrow had its busiest-ever September, with numbers rising 1.4% compared with the same month last year.

In all, the six airports handled 10.08 million passengers last month - 1.0% more than in September 2010, despite a 4% dip in numbers at Stansted Airport in Essex.

Passenger numbers at Aberdeen were up 11.3%, Glasgow was up 3.2% and Edinburgh had its busiest-ever September with an increase of 3.0%.

Southampton handled 0.7% more passengers last month than in September 2010.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "Passenger numbers rose in September, with stronger growth across the group than in July and August.

"Slightly softer Heathrow traffic in the latter part of September, vigilance in the near term from individual carriers and problems facing the European economy make us cautious about predicting traffic growth trends in the coming months.

"However, Heathrow is expected to demonstrate its previous resilience if a more challenging economic environment emerges.

"It is also important to distinguish between the recent growth in passenger numbers and the longer term picture for the UK.

"While existing routes are performing well, capacity constraints mean the UK is lagging behind in its connections to emerging market destinations - for example, Paris and Frankfurt already boast 1,000 more annual flights to China's three largest cities than Heathrow.

"The UK is not just missing out on flight connections, but the economic growth these links bring."

PA