BAA cloud as passenger numbers dive by 12 per cent

The nation is grounding itself. Airports operator BAA today said the number of passengers departing from its terminals on internal flights crashed by 12 per cent in January.

The latest monthly figures also reveal the trouble potential buyers are having in putting a value on up-for-sale Gatwick.

With a 24 per cent collapse in the number of passengers flying long-haul from London's second airport, total passenger traffic at Gatwick is disappearing at a rate of about 11 per cent a month.

BAA's airports, which rely on business folk flying around the UK or Brits taking short breaks or visiting friends and family, have been worst hit.

Stansted reported an 11 per cent fall in passengers. Figures at Southampton and Glasgow were even worse, while Edinburgh was off 6 per cent.

However, BAA hinted that a better performance at Heathrow may be the first green shoots of recovery in the worst extended aviation slump in the history of commercial flight.

"The latest monthly figures demonstrate the rate of decline continues to slow," said BAA.

Heathrow, which accounted for about half the 9.4 million passengers BAA handled in January, dropped 2.1 per cent. BAA said Heathrow is benefiting from introduction of open-skies competition on transatlantic services.

Across all BAA airports, passenger numbers were down 6.3%. That compares with a fall of about 7 per cent in December and 9 per cent in November.