Heathrow passenger figures 'scarcely touched by protests'

The number of passengers passing through Heathrow Airport in August seemed barely affected by the climate change protests in spite of concerns that Britons would be deterred from travelling, BAA figures suggest.

August saw the number of passengers at Heathrow reach a record 6.4 million, 6.5 per cent higher than during July and more than the number registered at that time of year over the past half-decade.

In the light of powerful passenger demand, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) this week warned that more must be done to ease congestion in Heathrow Airport as the continuing popularity of air travel risks putting pressure on infrastructure.

Plans for a fifth Terminal at Heathrow, meanwhile, are pressing ahead as BAA awards a contract worth £300 million for pre-construction work awarded to the building firm Carillion.

The contracted period starts in September 2007, when the firm will begin work on designing the structures to be put in place in the building period proper, scheduled to begin in spring 2008.