BAA airport traffic falls on ‘Olympics effect’
BAA reported a two per cent annual drop in passenger numbers during August, as the ‘Olympics effect’ meant UK passengers stayed at home and overseas visitors delayed their journeys.
The airport operator said 9.5m passengers passed through its five airports last month. At Heathrow, there was a drop of 1.9 per cent to 6.5m passengers over the month.
European traffic also fell overall, with only Denmark and Norway reporting an increase over the month, of 1.2 per cent and four per cent respectively.
BAA added that passenger traffic at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, has been lower than originally expected and the shortfall is not expected to be recovered later in the year.
Stansted saw its passenger numbers fall 5.2 per cent year on year, and traffic through Southampton dropped 6.4 per cent.