BAA hubs handle 12m people in March

UK airports operated by BAA handled a total of 12 million passengers in March, 1.2 per cent more than in the same month of last year.

This increase was recorded despite a number of cancellations at Heathrow Airport, caused by strong winds on March 10th and 12th and the opening of Terminal 5 at the end of the month.

European scheduled traffic increased by three per cent last month, while North Atlantic services (0.8 per cent) and other long-haul routes (1.9 per cent) also saw more passengers.

There was mixed performance among individual hubs, with Gatwick Airport by far the strongest performer, with an 8.1 per cent increase in activity.

Edinburgh Airport was the only base in Scotland to record a year-on-year increase this year, with one per cent more people travelling through the hub in March.

David Johnston, managing director of the Scottish capital's airport, told the Edinburgh Evening News: "The first of 27 new services to start this year from Edinburgh took off last month, giving passengers extra frequency and choice."

He added: "BAA is investing a record £42 million in Edinburgh Airport this year in order to meet the demands of a growing route network and increasing passenger numbers."