BAA passenger figures up in March

Airport operator BAA has reported a significant increase in air traffic - evidence that aviation in the UK is thriving.

During March, the seven BAA airports collectively handled 12 million passengers - an increase of nearly four per cent compared to the same month in 2006.

Long-haul traffic rose particularly sharply (by ten per cent), especially flights to and from India (up by 14 per cent). European scheduled traffic grew by five per cent, although charter traffic across the continent fell slightly, by 0.3 per cent.

Aberdeen performed best of all BAA's airports. Passenger traffic at the Scottish airport increased by 10 per cent compared to March last year; recent new routes include a weekly Flyglobespan service to Tenerife.

Other strong performers were Southampton, Gatwick and Edinburgh (all up by more than five per cent).

Consistent new services from both full-service airlines such as BA and low-cost carriers like easyJet have helped BAA over the last 12 months.

EasyJet itself posted an increase in passenger numbers of 12 per cent for March - up to more than three million from 2.7 million in March 2006.

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