New figures have shown that overall passenger numbers at BAA’s six airports across the UK, including London Stansted, were down last month due to a fall in holiday flights.

reported a fall in passenger numbers last month, including at Stansted Airport

That is despite a slight rise in numbers at Heathrow, which is popular with business passengers who make frequent airport transfers between sites in the South East.

According to the latest figures, the six airports handled just under 10.65 million people last month, a 0.6% fall compared with the same month in 2009.

BAA said Heathrow benefited from its popularity among business travellers.

But its other airports, including Stansted, which is accessible from London on either the Stansted Express or getting a bus to Stansted Airport, suffered because of the “weak UK outbound leisure market”.

The group said the holiday-flight market was still affected by “economic uncertainty”.

It added that as a result, there had been as number of “casualties among smaller UK tour operators”.

Figures showed that at Heathrow, European scheduled traffic was up 10.4%.

But a reduction in airline seat capacity contributed to a 6.1% fall in passenger numbers at Stansted Airport.

Elsewhere, Glasgow handled 9.4% fewer passengers, while Edinburgh handled 0.2% fewer overall.

And there were falls of 4% and 1% respectively at Aberdeen and Southampton, the figures showed.

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Those looking to escape London for some winter sun can now opt to visit Cape Verde or The Gambia in Africa, with Stansted able to cater for more customers after winning permission to host larger planes earlier in the year.

Travellers from Stansted Airport can reach new ski destinations this winter

Its new Code F status from the Civil Aviation Authority allows aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 to land at the airport.

Nick Barton, commercial and development director, predicted that Britons would be only too happy to catch a bus to Stansted airport to discover these new destinations, as well as returning to established, popular winter hotspots in Asia and Australia.

He also said it is ”encouraging” that airlines are continuing to introduce new routes despite tough industry challenges caused by the global economic downturn.

He said: ”AirAsia X’s onward connections to Bali, Phuket, Perth and Brisbane will be popular once again with those looking to escape the cold British winter, and we’re delighted The Gambia and Cape Verde join our route network, connecting Stansted to these tropical retreats in just six hours flying time.”

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The latest artist to feature in the Gateway Gallery at Luton Airport has been unveiled as David Lowther.

The Gateway Gallery is aimed at helping Luton Airport passengers pass the time

The artist, who taught in Bedfordshire for 25 years, will exhibit paintings based on Seamus Heaney’s poem Storm on the Island until the end of this month.

In the arrivals area of Luton Airport, the Gateway Gallery lets local artists display their work to members of the public.The gallery has been created as part of the Luton Airport Community Engagement Strategy.

Describing his paintings, Mr Lowther said: “They have been developed from combinations and re-workings of small imaginative drawings and jottings, and have evolved into paintings which hover between reality and abstraction.”

Stansted Airport has used the hub’s Community Fund, meanwhile, to boost its annual In Bloom project. Ware In Bloom got a £2,350 payout, which bought new gardening equipment and a trailer to transport flowers and plants around town. 

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The first airport outside London has received one of the world’s biggest passenger planes on its runway, putting airport transfers to other crafts in the shade.

The superjumbo A380 arrived at the first UK airport outside London when it touched down in Manchester

Although the double-decker Airbus A380 is yet to arrive at Luton or Stansted airports, it is already operating at Heathrow under Dubai-based airline Emirates.

Now the 500-seater superjumbo has touched down on Manchester tarmac, as Emirates begins a daily service between the city and Dubai.

Ian Godden, chairman of aerospace, defence and security trade organisation ADS, said: “The UK aerospace sector is number one in Europe and second only to the US globally. The Airbus A380 is an embodiment of this success.

“Up to half of the aircraft is made in Britain, with major contributions from many world-leading British-based companies of all sizes.”

The huge A380 went into passenger service at Singapore Airlines in October 2007, with Singapore starting Heathrow flights in March 2008. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among the carriers due to take delivery of A380s in the next few years.

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A huge fire in a car park at Stansted Airport has highlighted that it is possible, and often more convenient, to get the bus or use the Stansted Express.

A fire in a car park at Stansted Airport destroyed 24 vehicles

Firefighters were called to the car park at Zone C where an electrical fault in a vehicle caused the fierce blaze.

In total, 24 cars were destroyed, causing £250,000 of damage as gusts of up to 50mph fanned the flames.

The airport’s own fire service, along with other fire service crews, spent more than an hour bringing the flames under control.

Holidaymakers returning to Stansted will be in for a shock to find their cars destroyed.

And the nightmare will not end there as authorities investigating the blaze said it is difficult to find out which was the faulty car that started the fire, making car insurance claims more difficult.

A spokesman for Stansted Airport admitted: “It will be an unpleasant surprise for the owners returning to find their cars burnt-out. But we are arranging free taxis to take them home or a 40% discount with a car rental firm here at the airport.

“A police and fire service investigation is under way and that zone is closed off to new arrivals.

“All the car parks are monitored by CCTV round the clock and, although the fire was picked up quickly, the very high winds caused it to spread extremely rapidly.”

Stansted has the biggest open-air car park of any European airport with a capacity of 26,500 vehicles.

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Travellers hoping to fly on the Dreamliner from London airports such as Stansted are in for a long wait as further delays have hit the delivery of the aircraft to airlines.

The delivery of Boeing’s Dreamliner aircraft has been delayed

US-based Boeing said issues with the availability of a Rolls-Royce engine needed for the final phases of testing the aircraft were behind the delay.

The firm said it was in talks with Rolls-Royce to “expedite engine availability”.

Delivery of the aircraft to Japan’s All Nippon Airways is now expected for February next yea, Boeing said.

The Dreamliner, whose UK customers include British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways, is already more than two years behind schedule.

The Dreamliner has been hailed as a revolutionary plane, emitting less carbon dioxide than other aircraft.

Boeing, which has had to contend with numerous production difficulties from the 787, displayed the Dreamliner at the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire earlier this summer.

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The bank holiday weekend will see 1.8 million Britons focused on getting to Luton Airport and other departure points across the country on time to catch their flight, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

136,000 holidaymakers are set to use Stansted Airport to get away this weekend, as nearly two million jet off across the country

Some 65,000 people will be flying from London Luton, while a further 136,000 will be leaving from London Stansted Airport. Passengers getting airport transfers from Heathrow and Gatwick, which will handle 420,000 and 250,000 people respectively, will notice they are a comparatively quieter.

Airports in other areas of the country are also braced for the traditional August bank holiday getaway, with 145,000 passengers set to leave the country through Manchester, while Birmingham (65,000), Leeds Bradford (25,000), Newcastle (36,000) and Southampton (12,000) will also be busy.

A total of 116,000 passengers will be using airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, while some 60,000 will use the Eurostar for trips to the continent. Half a million people will use Eurotunnel or ferry ports.

The busiest day of the weekend is expected to be Friday, as people look to begin their weekend as soon as possible.

The list of most popular destinations is topped by Mediterranean resorts in mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus and the Greek islands.

Orlando and New York in the US are also among the top destinations, while European cities including Paris, Venice, Amsterdam and Dublin are favoured by others.

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A £1bn modernisation programme at Gatwick Airport will include redeveloping the South Terminal baggage centre and providing new aircraft pier facilities.

Gatwick Airport has revealed the consultants it will use for its £1bn modernisation programme

The upgrade will improve facilities for all passengers, including those arriving on airport transfers.

A three-year deal puts around 50 projects in the hands of selected civil engineering consultants Arup, Halcrow,  Jacobs, Scott Wilson and TPS.

The North Terminal will also be upgraded as part of the agreement, which is worth up to £10m to the consultants.

Gatwick could spend between £3m – £20m on architects over the next three years, according to industry experts.

Some of the architectural suppliers are Atkins, HOK, Jacobs, Morgan Sindall Professional Services and Pascal & Watson.

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Politicians may have been too hasty in seemingly ruling out new runways at airports in the South East like Stansted, Luton and Gatwick, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has said.

A report by the organisation found the Government’s “better not bigger” policy ran the risk of undermining the competitiveness of the UK’s aviation industry, explaining the country could be overtaken by expanding northern European rivals.

While agreeing with the need to cut emissions and improve aircraft and airport efficiency, the ICE urged politicians to carefully consider both their options and the long-term effects of restricted growth.

Heathrow is operating at 99% of capacity, the ICE says

ICE aviation expert Simon Godfrey-Arnold said: “World-class airport infrastructure helps attract inward investment, enables access to an international labour force and provides direct business and leisure links to growing economies around the world like China, Brazil and India.

“But Heathrow, with its two runways, is currently operating at 99% of permitted capacity. Journey times are increasing as aircraft become stacked up in queues both on the ground and in the air.”

Responding, a Department for Transport spokesman said: “We must begin a new chapter in aviation policy – one that promotes a competitive aviation industry, supporting UK economic growth, whilst recognising the need for restraint. 

“That is why we have established a new South East airports taskforce which draws together key players from across the industry and beyond to consider how we can make the most of existing airport infrastructure at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and improve conditions at these airports for all users.”

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Ash-cloud problems, poor exchange rates and strikes have not stopped holidaymakers from jetting off to dollar destinations, a report has revealed.

Places in the Caribbean and America have proved to be increasingly popular this year, with bookings to the Caribbean up 130% in May and June, holiday company Hayes & Jarvis found.

Antigua and Barbados saw the fastest increase in bookings during the period, the report showed.

A report shows that travellers are favouring dollar destinations, including Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles also featured in the top 10 destinations, with many flight to the US city’s available from UK airports including Stansted and Luton.

The Indonesian island of Bali rose to third place after civil troubles in Thailand forced travellers to swap their holiday destination.

However the Thai resorts of Koh Samui and Phuket have seen bookings continue to recover.

Kenya has also bounced back after political unrest in 2008, to claim the fourth place on the list.

Travellers can also reduce the cost and stress before their long-haul flights by getting to the airport using the Luton or Stansted bus services.

“Ironically, dollar destinations hit by a double whammy of sliding exchange rates and airline strikes have been the big winners in a topsy-turvy year for long-haul travel,” said Hayes & Jarvis commercial director Niel Alobaidi.

These are Hayes & Jarvis’s fastest-growing long-haul destinations this year:

1. Antigua

2. Barbados

3. Bali

4. Kenya

5. Cuba

6. Las Vegas

7. Egypt

8. Los Angeles

9. Chicago

10. San Francisco

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