UK air passenger numbers soaring

BAA has reported it's busiest ever start to the holiday period as 15.1 million passengers passed through Britain's main terminals last month.

London Stansted Airport registered an increase in passengers of 2.2 per cent, while the figures for Gatwick Airport rose 1.8 per cent.

Heathrow Airport was a significant exception to the spike, however, with service dropping by 1.7 per cent. Consumer confidence has been hit there in recent months by a series of scandals about lengthy queues, poor customer service and lost baggage.

The continued increase in flying will doubtless unsettle environmental campaigners, who have long contended that pollution from air travel is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Higher taxation, however, has so far failed to deter holidaymakers from the allure of cheap flights, therefore carbon offsetting schemes are now being touted as the best solution to balance out the negative impact on the environment.

Under such schemes, for every tonne of CO2 that is emitted by one cause, an equivalent amount of investment must be made to alleviate pollution elsewhere. Some schemes involve air passengers buying optional carbon offset vouchers.

In an interview with the Independent, John Stewart of environmental pressure group Transport 2000 summed up the reality of the situation: "As long as flights are as cheap as they are people will continue to fly. It is addictive."