Passenger numbers climb higher for BAA

BRITONS are contining their love affair for flying, according to figures from the UK's largest airport operator.

BAA, whose seven airports include London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, said passenger traffic was up 5% in May compared with a year ago, as all its airports recorded higher traffic.

The company said it carried 12.3m passengers in the month compared to 11.7m a year before.It said Flybe's expansion of routes helped Southampton's passenger numbers rise the fastest, up 30.4%, while Stansted numbers increased 10.7%.

In the 12 months to the end of May, BAA's UK airports handled 142.4m passengers, an increase of 4.9% on the previous 12 months.

Low-cost airlines have driven passenger growth in recent years and BAA said European traffic rose 7.4% in the month. Passenger numbers in the short-haul charter market - essentially package holidays - fell by 8.6%, while North Atlantic traffic rose 2.3%.

Other long-haul routes continued a trend of strong growth, rising 8.1% in the month.The company has previously flagged a slowdown in the recent high rate of passenger growth this financial year.

The growth in demand for flights has sparked a debate about their tax treatment. While petrol is taxed heavily, there is no duty on airline fuel. Environmentalists have called for curbs.