BAA report drop in passenger numbers
BAA has blamed the late Easter for a 1.3% dip in passenger numbers in March.
For the financial year to the end of March, its seven UK airports handled 144.6 million, a 2% increase over 2004/05.
The charter market suffered the most last month with a 15.4% fall while domestic traffic fell 2.9% and North Atlantic by 2.8%.
Only non-Atlantic long haul showed growth, of 4.6%.
For the year, charter volumes fell 10.2% with domestic and European schedule growing 1.3% and 3.4% respectively.
Heathrow’s 3.8% drop in March contributed to a 12-month decrease of 0.3% to 67.4 million. BAA said the softer UK economy, London bombings, high fuel costs and Gate Gourmet dispute all had an affect.
Gatwick had its best year on record with 32.8m passengers, up 2.6%, despite a fall last month of 0.3%.
Stansted welcomed 22.2m passengers, up 5% on the year and 1.3% ahead in March.
The biggest winner during the 2005/06 was Southampton which saw 1.8m travel through its terminal, up 20.1%. Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh grew 9.5%, 2.4% and 5.6% respectively.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive