BAA Numbers Soar as Business Travellers Return

The biggest airport authority in the UK, the British Airports Authority (BAA) reported an increase of 3.4% in passenger air traffic in October, thanks to an upswing in the business travel division. BAA stated that all of its six airports collectively handled nearly 10 million passengers in the last month. The 1.2% increase in the number of flights in the region also contributed to this impressive growth in travellers’ traffic.

The London Heathrow Airport reported an increase of 6% in its flight traffic along with a rise of 7.2% in passenger numbers which is up by 410,000. Buoyed by the impressive numbers, BAA believes that 10.6% rise in Heathrow’s European travel can be an indicator of improving things after the traumatic economic depression.

Long-haul flights between London Heathrow and China improved by 16.1%, which is a phenomenal number given the fact that the hub serves only two Chinese destinations. The number of flights between BAA airports and North America increased by 7.5%, while long-haul flights from UK to other destinations spiralled up by 3.2%.

Colin Matthews, the Chief Executive of BAA is pleased with the reported numbers and stated in a press release that “Passenger growth is good for the economy with thousands of people across the country employed in aviation, international trade and tourism. We are continuing with our £5 billion Heathrow investment programme – the biggest private investment project in the UK – providing thousands of jobs as we modernise facilities to improve everyone's experience of the airport.

Among other BAA airports, Edinburgh’s passenger traffic rose by 3.5% while Southampton mounted up by 1.0%.

News Source: BAA Numbers Soar as Business Travellers Return