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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Most women who diet before heading off on holiday aim to lose an average of more than half a stone in weight, a survey has shown. 

Travel agent Sunshine revealed that up to 67% of women questioned embarked on diets before taking a break. 

With many people pre-occupied with looking great for their travels, using airport transfer services could remove the added stress from the journey and ensure that make their flight without fuss.

Only 9% of the 1,614 people asked said they did not make a special effort to improve or change their appearance before their holiday. 

The study focused on women aged over 21 who had been on holiday during the last two years. 

Results showed that 48% had used fake tan or a sunbed to look their best before departing from Heathrow, Gatwick or one of the UK’s other airports.

Also, 39% had their hair cut or dyed, 24% went in for waxing and 22% had a manicure.

Those who went in for pre-holiday preparations of this kind spent an average of £162 on treatments, the poll found.

Sunshine co-founder Chris Brown said: “I was quite surprised that around two-thirds diet before going away. After all, holidays are all about indulgence and you normally put a bit of weight on during your break anyway.

“With this in mind, it could be argued that the dieting is probably best left until after the holiday.

“Getting bronzed and beautified is obviously a very important part of the pre-holiday process for women to feel confident before they get away, and the fact only 9% said they didn’t do anything at all before they went away just goes further to strengthen this point.”

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Holidaymakers heading abroad this summer from certain UK airports may find using tablet computers such as iPads abroad could be up to 1,000 times more expensive than in Britain. 

Consumer group Which? has revealed the potentially crippling costs, which could interest people looking to go on holiday from Heathrow, or Stansted airports this Easter. 

The research shows that while some travellers might think they have been thrifty by using airport transfers, they could end up spending over and above anyway by checking the internet or making calls home. 

In Britain a gigabyte of data can cost as little as £7.50 a month for people who like to check emails, watch videos or download music on a tablet. 

But the study has shown that similar usage while travelling abroad could end up costing several thousand pounds.

It would take a considerable amount of hours watching video online to run up such astronomical charges – but simply using GPS to get around, browsing the internet, or checking emails could lead to a bill of several hundred pounds.

Also, smartphone and tablet users could find their devices racking up big bills without them knowing as the gadgets access the internet to conduct automatic updates.

Although data charges are limited to about £40 in the EU due to an automatic bill cut-off required by EC regulation, and some operators have caps for use further afield, others do not have a limit on how big a bill a customer can rack up.

Which? found that using a mobile phone to make and receive calls, send texts and browse the web while abroad can be extremely costly too.

Unlike within the UK, mobile users must pay to receive calls as well as to make them.

Prices are capped in the EU, but calls made elsewhere can be up to 10 times more expensive and texts can be four times more expensive.

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Belfast International has added Malta to its list of destinations, which already include London Stansted and Paris among others. 

easyJet adds new flights to Malta

The new flights, the airline’s 20th route, will leave twice a week, making it easier for passengers to hop across to the Mediterranean island.

Meanwhile for those flying into Stansted may need to arrange transport into central London to continue their trip or to catch connecting flights at Heathrow, Luton or Gatwick airports.

Paul Simmons, easyJet Regional general manager, said: “We’re delighted to be launching this new route to Malta, which is a popular destination for leisure and business travellers, and strengthens easyJet’s existing destinations from Northern Ireland.

“Malta has a rich history that is evident in its stunning architecture. For today’s visitors, there is also the obvious attraction of clear blue waters and dry, warm summers,” he added.

Once in Malta, it’s well worth catching the ferry over to the small neighbouring island of Gozo – well known for its rustic scenery and plethora of churches – 22 in total. The Xewkija church, featuring its famous dome which is larger than London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, can seat 3,000 people.

Gozo is also famous for its Ggantija temples – the oldest religious structures in the world.

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Despite Britons planning to spend a fifth less while on holiday this year, they are still intending to go away, a survey has revealed.

Tough economic times mean the amount people plan to spend has dropped from £1,014 in 2010 to £829 this year, according to 2,153 adults questioned by travelsupermarket.com.

Cost has become an increasingly important factor in booking a holiday in recent months, with 78% currently citing it as a consideration, compared with just 43% six months ago.

The poll revealed that cost is now more important when deciding where to go on holiday than weather or facilities, which scored 37% each.

Excluding flights and accommodation, the average amount spent while away on holiday has fallen from £307 per week last July to the current level of £298.

People living in Northern Ireland are likely to spend the most while on holiday – parting with £373 per week. However, it represents a significant decline from last July’s figure of £420 a week.

The most frugal of holidaymakers, meanwhile, are those living in East Midlands. They intend to spend just £256 a week.

The poll also indicated that men plan to spend more per week than women while they are away, parting with £334 a week compared with £348 and £313 six months and a year ago respectively. Women, on the other hand, now plan to spend £258, compared with £265 six months and £278 and a year ago.

Men also plan to fork out more for their holiday than women, paying £922 per person on average for their main summer holiday compared with an average of £740 for women.

Holidaymakers in south-east England are planning to spend the most on their main trip this year, with an average figure of £960.

Those keeping a close eye on the finances might want to consider taking bus transfers to the airport to avoid steep parking fees. They are fast, economical and easy to use, and service most major airports in the UK, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton.

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London mayor Boris Johnson has backed plans for a new airport in south-east England. 

He spoke as a report, which was overseen by Transport for London deputy chairman Daniel Moylan, said the failure to create a new hub airport in the region would see London suffer and lose jobs to its European competitors.

“For London to retain its position as the heartbeat of global business, we need aviation links that will allow us to compete with our rivals,” Mr Johnson said. 

With the existing airport transfers system in place in the region, a new location could complete the network and give tourists more choice when picking the location of their overseas getaways. 

High quality bus services between the airports, such as Luton to London and London to Stansted, might also remove the need for travellers to worry about leaving their car at the first airport they travel from. 

Mr Johnson is understood to support a new airport in the Thames estuary but the coalition Government has ruled out new runways in south-east England. 

The current report does not give specific information about a new site for the airport but a new report commissioned by Mr Johnson will consider the pros and cons of a number of locations for an additional airport. 

This will include options for a new airport which could be in the Thames estuary, as well as consideration of existing sites with the exception of Heathrow.

Mr Johnson’s backing for expansion not only puts him at possible loggerheads with the Government but also with those opposing airport growth, including residents’ groups and conservationists.

The report revealed that in terms of destinations served by worldwide international airports, Heathrow had fallen from second in 1990 to seventh in 2010.

The number of destinations that can be directly accessed from Heathrow is now 157, compared with 224 from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport and 235 from Frankfurt.

The report said this showed that London’s only hub airport was losing out to other European airports, which if sustained could have long-term damaging effects for the economies of London and the UK.

The report also said that an additional 85 million passengers a year or 564,000 annual flights could be generated at London’s airports within the environmental targets the Government has adopted.

It added that runway utilisation at Heathrow and Gatwick airports was operating at approximately 99%. This was causing delays and reliability problems. Heathrow is handling up to 75,000 more passengers a day than it was built for.

Runway utilisation was typically 70-75% at other major European hub airports.

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Heavy snowfall in Scotland has closed a number of airports and created difficult travel conditions.

Large parts of the country have been crippled by snow and further flurries have been predicted.

Severe weather warnings for snow and icy roads in Grampian, Central, Fife, Strathclyde, Tayside, Lothian and Borders and South West Scotland have been issued by the Met Office. 

Edinburgh airport was shut for a time due to heavy snow and Aberdeen airport also suffered delays while snow clearing and de-icing took place.

Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, has also warned Londoners to prepare for the possibility of snow. 

As a result, people might want to use airport transfer services to get to Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports in a bid to avoid using their cars on treacherous roads.

Forecasters warned the rest of the country is likely to be blanketed this week as the weather front moves west.

The severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow.

Victoria Kettley, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “There will not be as much snow as on Sunday but there will be 2-5cm widely and over uplands easily up to 10cm through the day and overnight.”

“It will remain cold as there’s still the easterly wind so it’ll be a maximum of 2-4 degrees centigrade in coastal areas and inland it would be lucky to get above freezing.”

“We’re still expecting it to remain cold through the rest of the week, bitterly cold.”

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Extra bank holiday for Royal Wedding, to be held in Westminster Abbey

The announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton’s spring wedding will be a public holiday has ensured that millions of Britons will enjoy two long weekends off next year. 

The April 29 Royal wedding falls on the Friday before the May Day Holiday on the following Monday, May 2, giving workers four full days off. The previous weekend is Easter, when schools close and much of industry shuts down for the traditional four-day break.

While millions of Britons will be glued to their television screens as the pair tie the knot, some may be tempted to take advantage of two long weekends in a row by heading to the airport and jetting off abroad.

Unsurprisingly, the revelation that Britons will receive an extra day off next year has been greeted with some cheer from industry officials.

A TUC spokesman said: “Working people will look forward to the extra bank holiday next year to celebrate the royal wedding.”

“The UK would benefit from having more days of national celebration. With a further bank holiday to come in 2012 for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, people will get used to the extra day off so we should make it a permanent fixture with a new community day bank holiday from 2013 onwards.”

A CBI spokesman added: “The Royal wedding is a day for national celebration, and under these unique circumstances a one-off additional bank holiday is appropriate.”

London could also see an uplift in tourists for the event. The city has good transport links feeding Luton, Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

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BAA may invest more in its British assets after selling its stake in Naples International Airport

Airport operator BAA could invest heavily in its British assets like London Heathrow and Stansted after selling its stake in Naples International Airport.

Reports suggest that the Italian airport will be sold to an entity controlled by Italian infrastructure fund F2i SGR SpA for €150 million before the end of the year.

The deal will allow BAA, which also owns Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton and Aberdeen airports, to focus on its British assets, according to Colin Matthews, BAA’s chief executive officer.

He said: “Naples has been a significant part of the BAA group for many years.

“BAA’s substantial capital investment and improvement programme is now well established in Naples and is bearing fruit.

“Now is the right time for Naples International Airport to move ahead under new owners and for us to sharpen our focus on Heathrow and our other UK airports.”

BAA currently owns a 65% stake in GESAC SpA, which holds the licence for Naples International Airport until 2043. The sale will conclude BAA’s refocusing of their assets to UK airports.

Since 2006 the company has sold Budapest Airport, its subsidiary that had interests in six Australian airports, its share in the Airport Property Partnership (APP), World Duty Free and four US retail management contracts.

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The owners of Gatwick Airport are planning a services shake-up

The owner of Gatwick Airport plans to cut fees, improve rail links and attract long-haul carriers in an effort to boost the airport’s annual passenger figures.

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which bought Gatwick from BAA Ltd for £1.5 billion in 2009, hopes that infrastructure improvements and more competitive rates for airlines will help boost passenger levels by 40%, to 45 million people per year.

Gatwick Airport, which has bus transfer links to Luton and Stansted, currently attracts approximately 32 million passengers a year and is the world’s busiest single-runway airport.  

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive officer, believes it has the ability to emerge from Heathrow’s shadow to become London’s gateway for passengers who do not require connecting flights.

 “As the second child in the family you’re in a difficult situation,” he said.

“Gatwick is easily the next-biggest UK airport after Heathrow, but it was never treated half as well as what is perceived to be the jewel in the BAA crown.”

In 2009, Gatwick was ranked at Europe’s eighth busiest airport, and figures suggest that 32 million passengers will pass through it this year.

Figures in 2007 revealed that 35.4 million passengers used the airport, and Mr Wingate believes these figures could increase in the future as easyJet Plc reconfigures its fleet to include planes with bigger passenger capacities.

Copyright Press Association 2010