The number of passengers travelling on British long-haul routes returned to pre-September 11 levels for the first time last month, airports operator BAA said today.
The group said its seven UK airports - which include Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Glasgow - handled a record 14.2 million passengers during July.
This was an increase of 8% on last year, with the biggest rise in North Atlantic and other long-haul routes as the sector confirmed its recovery from the September 11 downturn.
BAA said the number of passengers flying to and from North America rose 12.3% last month, while those travelling on other long-haul routes increased by 14.6%.
The continued popularity of no-frills travel boosted European scheduled and domestic routes, which rose by 10.8% and 6.8% respectively.
Stansted, the main UK base of Ryanair, recorded the fastest growth of the London airports with a 10.2% increase.
