Britain’s two biggest airports have been busier than ever, with Heathrow declaring 2012 a record year and Gatwick announcing passenger growth in December.
The rise was attributed to a 3.2 per cent increase in traffic from the north
Atlantic, as well as more routes from Brazil, and a renewal of confidence in
the Middle East, central Asia and East Asia.
A huge 21 per cent more passengers arrived at the West London airport from
Brazil, together with a 5.9 per cent rise in passengers from China and 4.5
per cent more from Russia.
The number of visitors flying in from Africa dropped by 5.7 per cent, as did
those from India (3.4 per cent), due to airlines either reducing or ceasing
services.
As belts across Europe tightened due to the economic climate, traffic to
Italy, Portugal, Greece and Spain dropped but this was offset by slight
increases to Germany (2.3 per cent), France (0.6) and in domestic flights
(0.5 per cent).
Figures in December were particularly high, with 5.6 million travellers
passing through the terminals, an increase of 2 per cent on December 2011.
December was also a good month for Gatwick Airport, which handled 0.2 per cent more passengers in December 2012 than it had the previous year. London Gatwick Taxis
Annual traffic figures for Gatwick were also up – by 1.7 per cent to more than 34 million for the calendar year when compared to 2011.
Colin Matthews, BAA chief executive, said: “The figures for 2012 show Heathrow is delivering higher passenger numbers despite a tough economic climate. At the same time passenger satisfaction reached record levels.
“Over the next twelve months we will continue to improve the passenger experience and focus on our investment programme, as we move towards completion of the new Terminal 2.”
December was also a good month for Gatwick Airport, which handled 0.2 per cent more passengers in December 2012 than it had the previous year. London Gatwick Taxis
Annual traffic figures for Gatwick were also up – by 1.7 per cent to more than 34 million for the calendar year when compared to 2011.
Colin Matthews, BAA chief executive, said: “The figures for 2012 show Heathrow is delivering higher passenger numbers despite a tough economic climate. At the same time passenger satisfaction reached record levels.
“Over the next twelve months we will continue to improve the passenger experience and focus on our investment programme, as we move towards completion of the new Terminal 2.”
No comments:
Post a Comment