New figures reveal that airports run by BAA, such as Heathrow, saw a rise in the number of travellers that passed through its gates in April.

Its six hubs handled nearly 9.09 million people overall last month, which is a 0.1% increase compared to the same month last year, according to the Spanish-owned operator.

Heathrow saw a slight jump in the volume of passengers in contrast with figures recorded in April 2011 – totalling 5.8 million travellers. But data found 2.7% fewer people travelled through Stansted Airport last month when compared with the same month last year, and Southampton also recorded a 3.1% decline.

Findings showed that European charter traffic, including North African charter flights, tumbled 6.5% in April, while the number of passengers who flew towards a North Atlantic destination decreased by 0.9%.

“These are encouraging figures for Heathrow and BAA’s other airports. However, the modest growth in passenger numbers at Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, comes from larger and fuller aircraft, not from more routes and frequencies to emerging markets. This lack of connectivity is damaging the UK economy,” said Colin Matthews, BAA chief executive.

Figures also dipped for Gatwick airport, which used to be owned by BAA, as it saw a total of 2.72 million travellers in April. The number is a 1.3% drop in comparison to 2011’s April figure. It is now run by Global Infrastructure Partnerships, which is expected to acquire BAA-owned Edinburgh airport.

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Heathrow Airport processed more than 70 million passengers in the 12 months up to March, its highest ever total for the period.

The airport’s management company, BAA, said the total highlighted the hub’s ability to offer good service and value for money despite economic uncertainty. The west London airport’s five terminals saw 5.7 million passengers pass through their doors in March, a 6.9% increase on the previous year, as Easter holiday traffic occurred in March rather than April.

BAA, which also owns Stansted, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Southampton and Edinburgh airports, saw North Atlantic traffic rise 13.6% while other long-haul routes increased by 5.2%. A strong ski season boosted flights to the continent, as European scheduled traffic also rose by 3.2%

However, not all airports experienced the same growth during the period. The airport operator said declines at Edinburgh and Southampton were compensated for by increases at Glasgow and Aberdeen. Despite the lack of growth at some UK airports, BAA saw a 4% rise in passengers in March to a total of 8.6 million.

Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, said the 70 million passenger mark was a major milestone for Heathrow and demonstrated its “resilience” in difficult economic conditions. However, BAA still has to deal with another legal challenge after it lost an appeal against the requirement for it to sell Stansted.

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Heathrow has experienced its busiest ever September in terms of passengers, it has been announced.

Numbers at the airport were up 1.4% compared with the same month in 2010.

Overall, BAA’s six UK airports dealt with a higher number of passenger last month, although the news has been met with some caution by chief executive Colin Matthews.

Some 10.8 million passengers were handled by the six airports, and despite a 4% dip in numbers at Stansted, this worked out to a 1% rise on last September.

Mr 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.”

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Heathrow Airport has been named the official host airport of the London 2012 Games.

The London transport hub is gearing up for a huge influx of spectators, officials, sponsors and media for the Olympics, with about 80% of all the people who will travel to the Games going through the airport.

Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport and Luton Airport are also expecting increased passenger numbers for the world’s greatest sporting event.

London 2012’s commercial director Chris Townsend said: “The first impression will reflect London 2012 in terms of branding but crucially by providing the warmest of welcomes to the city.”

Heathrow officials are expecting to deal with some 218,000 bags the day after the Olympics closing ceremony on August 13, which is set to be the airport’s busiest day ever.

A whole range of sporting equipment will pass through the airport, including canoes, vaulting poles and bikes.

Heathrow is recruiting 1,000 volunteers to ensure it can cope with the extra demand, with plans also being formed to build a temporary Olympic terminal, which would be taken down after the Games.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews described London 2012 as “Heathrow’s greatest challenge”.

He said: “Every part of the airport is working together so we can give the world’s greatest athletes the world’s greatest welcome.”

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Heathrow handled a record number of passengers last month, according to new figures.

Some 6.9 million passengers passed through the UK’s biggest airport last month, a rise of 2.5% on July last year, airport operator BAA said. The London airport had its busiest ever day on Sunday July 31.

Increases in passenger numbers were seen at the five other BAA-run airports, apart from Stansted which had 7.2% fewer passengers last month compared with 12 months previously.

The figures showed Southampton was up 2.4% while across the border all three airports enjoyed an increase – Glasgow rose 0.5%, Edinburgh increased 3.3% and Aberdeen had a 8.7% rise.

A total of 11 million passengers passed through BAA’s airports in July 2011 – an increase of 0.8% on the same month last year.

Foreign routes were the main reason for the increase, with passengers travelling to and from Brazil up 80% in July 2011 and traffic on North American flights rising 5.6%.

By contrast, there was a 7.2% dip in passengers on domestic routes.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “The growth in passenger traffic at Heathrow in July is good news for UK jobs, tourism and growth. Heathrow’s unique role in linking the UK to the world’s emerging markets is vital to Britain’s economic recovery.”

Gatwick Airport, which used to run by BAA but now has American owners, handled 3.63 million passengers last month – a 5.9% rise on its July 2010 figure.

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A new tourism campaign centred on Stansted Airport is aiming to encourage passengers to “boomerang” back to the region.

BAA, Visit Essex and London & Partners is highlighting local attractions in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The campaign, “Hello, Hello”, hopes to raise awareness of tourist attractions, historical interest as well as cultural hotspots in the local area within easy reach of the airport.

Paul Haynes, airline route and marketing manager for Stansted, said: “As well as being able to find out about some of the hidden treasures around Essex and London, passengers have the chance to win a fantastic Essex and London mini-break.

“With less than a year to go before the Olympics, it’s all part of our effort to promote local tourism within our catchment area, ensuring the economic benefits of Stansted are realised.”

Passengers leaving the airport are being targeted with leaflets in a bid to encourage them to come back and make the most out of London and Essex, with Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend being highlighted as well as the more traditional attractions of London. 

A Roman soldier will also distribute flyers at the airport for travellers  – a reminder of the rich Roman heritage associated with the surrounding area.

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Passenger numbers at BAA airports increased by more than 4% last month, new figures have revealed.

A total of 9.9 million passengers went through the company’s six airports during June, a 4.4% rise compared with the same period last year.

The figures were boosted by the busiest-ever June experienced at Heathrow. The record month saw 6.1 million passengers handled at the west-London airport.

It experienced a boost in the number of people flying from the airport to Brazil, while US destinations also performed strongly.

In contrast, Southampton experienced a slight drop in passenger numbers – down by 0.8%.

Results for the firm’s three airports in Scotland were positive, with Aberdeen experiencing a 10.1% rise, Edinburgh up 7.6% while Glasgow saw 2.6% increase. 

Gatwick, which was owned by BAA but is now run by US-based investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners, experienced a 5.2% increase in passenger numbers.

A 13.9% rise in scheduled traffic from Europe helped to boost numbers to 3.2 million during the month. 

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “June’s passenger figures are an early indication of a busy summer, and we will focus on delivering the best possible service standards at our most popular time of year.”

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Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has confirmed that it wants to buy Stansted and maybe either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport. 

Airport group reveals Stansted plans

If MAG is successful with its attempt to buy Stansted, it would bring in more long-haul carriers and reduce the amount that the airport relies on low-cost carriers in general.

The Competition Commission has instructed current Stansted owner BAA to sell the airport, along with either Glasgow or Edinburgh, but the timetable for the sale has not been made clear. 

Two years ago MAG failed with an attempt to buy Gatwick when BAA was forced to sell the airport.

While addressing the Guild of Travel Management Companies conference in Abu Dhabi, MAG external affairs director Jonathan Bailey said: “We plan to acquire more airports, in the first instance in the UK.”

MAG currently owns Manchester, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Humberside airports. 

Mr Bailey told Travel Weekly: “We will look at the BAA airports. Whether we make a bid is a different question.”

However, he revealed a MAG takeover of Stansted would see a sharp change of strategy at the airport. “We would fight hard to win traffic fromHeathrow and Gatwick,” said Bailey.   

The Competition Commission has not announced a timetable for BAA to sell the airports, but the process is likely to take two to three years.

Bailey said: “BAA has been successful in postponing the sale from the depth from the recession.” 

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Gatwick Airport plans to make a number of changes as the former BAA travel hub looks to compete with its rival Heathrow.

Gatwick plans to plans to introduce direct flights to Durban

Among the changes at the airport, which was sold by BAA in 2009, are plans to introduce direct flights to Durban in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Mike Mabuyakhulu, MEC for KwaZulu-Natal economic development and tourism, said that details on the first flights would be announced over the next year. Comai, a local airline, offers 23 flights to the King Shaka Airport each day, making it the largest user of the travel hub.

In addition to the Durban flights, the airport has also started to offer flights to Amman in Jordan, which leave on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12.50 BST and arrive in Jordan at 8pm local time.

Other changes being made at the Gatwick in the hope of snatching passenger numbers from Heathrow include improvements to its terminal shuffle and the start of a process to make security queues quicker and more efficient.

Looking to the future, the airport also wants to implement further changes including the installation of amusement areas where teenagers can keep themselves busy and a traveller lounge, which even has a spa facility that travellers at the airport can pay to use.

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Nearly six million passengers travelled through Heathrow last month in what was the busiest ever April for the West London airport, latest figures show.

More than 5.8 million people used the UK’s biggest airport throughout April – an increase of 31.5% compared with the same period last month – according to BAA, whose other British airports also had a good month.

The figures are in sharp contrast to the same month last year when the aviation industry was rocked by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud crisis, which kept planes out of the sky for weeks. In addition to not having the ash cloud to contend with, airports were boosted this month by the Easter holidays falling solely in April and travellers looking to take advantage of the extra royal wedding bank holiday.

There was a 31% increase to 9.1 million passengers using BAA’s six UK airports last month compared with April 2010. Stansted saw passenger numbers rise by 26.2% and there was an 18.5% increase at Southampton.

Meanwhile, in Scotland it was also a record breaking month for Edinburgh Airport, which had an unprecedented number of travellers go through its doors. A surge in traveller numbers of 43.9% saw a total of 776,300 passengers use the airport.

Glasgow increased the number of passengers using its airport by 27.1% during the month and Aberdeen was up 33.2% with 247,100. In total, more than 1.5 million people used the BAA airports in Scotland during the month.

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