The number of passengers taking to the skies in January rose 4.8%, with a double-digit leap in long-haul traffic, airports operator BAA said today.
The group said fliers using its seven UK airports - which include Gatwick - totalled 9.3 million last month.
Long-haul traffic grew by 10% in January compared with last year, when the build-up to the war in Iraq was gathering pace and concerns over the Sars virus in Asia were mounting.
The number of passengers flying to North America also rose 2.3% last month, despite weather disruptions and tighter security.
There was a bounce back in European charter traffic after several months in decline, with passenger numbers rising 1.6%, BAA said.
The popularity of no-frills travel continued to bring more travellers to its smaller airports in London and the South East.
Stansted, the UK base of Ryanair, handled 14.8% more travellers last month, while the larger hubs at Heathrow and Gatwick also grew by 3.4% and 2.9% respectively.
Wednesday February 11, 2004
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