UK. BAA’s six airports handled 9.3 million passengers last month, and it was the busiest ever May for Heathrow (5.9 million) and Edinburgh (826,000). The two airports also saw their busiest ever spring (March, April and May).
For the first time ever, the moving annual total number of passengers at Heathrow topped 68 million. Heathrow’s passenger numbers grew by +11.6% over May 2010, which was affected by volcanic ash and industrial action. Accounting for these impacts left Heathrow with an estimated underlying +5.2% increase for the month of May. For the year to date Heathrow’s traffic is up +9.8% with underlying growth of +2.7%.
Traffic at the group’s six airports increased by +9.2% over last May. The late Easter holidays and Royal Wedding led to more passengers at the beginning of the month whereas the Grímsvötn eruption in Iceland led only to a marginal decrease in traffic. Stripping out the negative effects of events in 2010, the group recorded underlying growth of +1.7% in the year to date.
Both Edinburgh and Aberdeen recorded double-digit increases in the month (+13.7% and +11.8% respectively) with underlying growth for the year to date of +6.9% and +7.0% respectively. Traffic at Glasgow increased +7.0% in May 2011; the underlying growth for the year to date was +1.3%.
Stansted saw its second consecutive monthly rise (+0.7%) for the first time since October 2007, although on a year to date basis the underlying decline is -4.0%, reflecting the transfer of capacity by low-cost airlines to continental Europe. Southampton’s traffic was down -1.1% in the month, and down -7.0% on an underlying year to date basis, largely as a result of a drop in European scheduled traffic.
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BAA said: “Growth in passenger numbers demonstrates the continued recovery of the UK aviation sector. Passenger numbers at Heathrow over the last 12 months topped 68 million for the first time, an indication that exposure to the global economic recovery continues to support activity at the UK’s only hub airport.
“Crucial links only provided by Heathrow include those to Brazil (up +82.0% on May 2010), Russia (up +19.1%), India (up +5.4%) and China (up +9.5%). These important routes are economically sustained not just by direct traffic from London but by connecting passengers at Heathrow from across the UK and the world.”
BAA Chief Executive Colin Matthews said: “Demand is particularly strong on the long-haul routes that connect UK businesses to fast-growing economies around the world.”
