BAA, Britain's biggest airports operator, said today that passenger numbers at its seven UK airports fell by 6.4% in December year-on-year as the weak economy and September 11 attacks left their mark on demand.
North Atlantic passenger traffic was down 13% and other long-haul traffic was down 6%, but traffic continued to improve on the dismal months of October and November, it said, with a big recovery seen over the Christmas holiday period.
'Much of December's improvement can be attributed to very strong Christmas holiday traffic, where in the seven days ending December 31, passenger numbers were similar to last year,' the former state-owned monopoly said in a statement.
Cargo tonnage handled at its airports, which include London's Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, fell by 12.1% or 12th consecutive monthly decline.
The combination of the economic downturn and the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington sent the airline industry into a tailspin as demand for air travel plunged, causing two European carrier, Sabena and Swissair, to collapse under the strain.
