UK airports operator BAA reported a pick-up in passenger figures today as it showed signs of recovering from the London bombings and strikes at Heathrow.
The group, whose seven sites include Heathrow and Gatwick, said it carried 13.5 million passengers in September - a 3 per cent increase on the same month last year.
This was an improvement on its performance in July and August, when growth was hampered by the terrorist attacks and the wildcat strikes that grounded the British Airways fleet at Heathrow.
Flights across the Atlantic returned to growth, increasing by 3.1 per cent last month, while other long-haul routes saw a 8.6 per cent rise.
European charter traffic remained weak, dipping 7.4 per cent, however, while UK domestic flights were 2.3 per cent ahead of last year.
Each of BAA 's UK airports recorded growth, with Stansted passenger figures up 5 per cent, Heathrow rising 1.4 per cent and Gatwick up 2.9 per cent.
BAA said in a trading statement last month that the bombings and strikes would contribute to a 3 per cent rise in passenger figures for its full financial year, compared with an original prediction of 3.5 per cent.
It recorded a rise of 2.6 per cent in the five months to August, despite this period including its busiest months.