Airports operator BAA today said growing consumer confidence led to the first monthly increase in total UK passenger numbers since March 2008.
The Spanish-owned group, which runs London's Heathrow and Stansted airports as well as Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Southampton, handled a total of 9.9 million passengers in the UK in November, an improvement of 0.8 per cent on the same month last year.
The group, owned by Ferrovial, said that Heathrow's continued resilience was highlighted by the fourth monthly increase in the last five months. Traffic at the UK's largest airport increased by 1.1 per cent to five million people. Heathrow's load factor, a measure of how full planes are, rose 2.6 points to 70.7 per cent.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "Global market conditions remain challenging, but these figures are encouraging. There is evidence that consumer confidence is growing and Heathrow's strong network continues to perform well."
Gatwick marked its last full month under BAA ownership with a 4.5 per cent increase in passenger numbers to 2.1 million people. The West Sussex airport has been bought by the owner of London City Airport, US-based investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners, for just over £1.5 billion.
PA