European and long-haul traffic through airports managed by British operator BAA returned to growth in July while its flagship airport at Heathrow recorded its third busiest month on record.
Numbers of passengers grew 1.2 per cent in Europe and 4.8 per cent across the long-haul network, excluding North Atlantic routes, the operator - majority-owned by Spain's Grupo Ferrovial - said today.
Overall, BAA airports handled 14.5 million passengers, down 2.4 per cent compared to July 2008, following decreases of 5.9 per cent in June and 7.3 per cent in May.
Traffic at Heathrow was up 0.9 per cent.
At Gatwick, which debt-laden BAA is under pressure from regulators to sell, passenger numbers fell 4.8 per cent, slowing the rate of decline from the 7.6 per cent registered in June.
Cargo activity measured by tonnes carried fell 11.7 per cent as the economic slump continues to impact trade flows.
Reuters
