BAA's passenger traffic in May was affected by the effects of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud and by the British Airways' cabin crew industrial action.
Despite this, BAA's UK airports handled 8.6 million passengers in the month, which was a drop of 4.5% on May 2009. Heathrow handled 5.3 million passengers, 3.1% down on last year. Without these impacts, it is estimated that Heathrow would have recorded an increase of 2.8% and the group as whole an increase of 0.4%.
Losses attributable to the volcanic ash cloud and industrial action were estimated to be as follows:-
| Airport | Terminal passengers (000s) | % of expected traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 320 | 6% |
| Stansted | 30 | 2% |
| Southampton | 5 | 3% |
| Glasgow | 35 | 6% |
| Edinburgh | 45 | 6% |
| Aberdeen | 10 | 4% |
| BAA UK Total | 445 | 5% |
In total, BAA's UK airports recorded a drop of 4.8% in the number of air transport movements. Continuing a period of exceptionally strong growth in cargo traffic, and despite the drop in aircraft movements, cargo tonnage was up by 36.1% at Heathrow and by 33.7% at the wider group level
| Terminal passengers (000s) | Month | % change | Jan to May 2010 | % change | Jun 2009 to May 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 5,255.8 | -3.1 | 24,344.7 | -4.4 | 64,797.6 | -1.6 |
| Stansted | 1,622.4 | -1.5 | 6,778.7 | -8.3 | 19,337.2 | -8.0 |
| London area total | 6,878.1 | -2.7 | 31,123.4 | -5.3 | 84,134.8 | -3.2 |
| Southampton | 159.7 | -2.6 | 633.3 | -4.5 | 1,761.2 | -4.5 |
| Glasgow | 560.4 | -13.7 | 2,225.0 | -14.6 | 6,839.1 | -11.7 |
| Edinburgh | 726.4 | -11.6 | 3,032.9 | -10.4 | 8,694.9 | -2.3 |
| Aberdeen | 230.2 | -9.9 | 1,024.3 | -12.0 | 2,861.0 | -9.5 |
| Scottish total | 1,517.0 | -12.1 | 6,282.2 | -12.2 | 18,395.0 | -7.1 |
| UK total | 8,554.8 | -4.5 | 38,038.9 | -6.5 | 104,291.0 | -3.9 |
| Naples | 530.4 | 5.6 | 1,956.0 | 3.7 | 5,360.6 | 0.6 |
| Air transport movements | Month | % change | Jan to May 2010 | % change | Jun 2009 to May 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 37,899 | -4.4 | 177,549 | -6.9 | 446,949 | -4.6 |
| Stansted | 12,731 | -2.3 | 56,172 | -7.8 | 151,458 | -8.0 |
| London area total | 50,630 | -3.9 | 233,721 | -7.1 | 598,407 | -5.4 |
| Southampton | 3,775 | 2.6 | 15,255 | -4.2 | 39,886 | -6.8 |
| Glasgow | 6,011 | -9.7 | 25,824 | -12.9 | 70,446 | -13.9 |
| Edinburgh | 8,744 | -8.9 | 38,645 | -10.8 | 102,388 | -7.8 |
| Aberdeen | 7,680 | -4.9 | 35,170 | -10.1 | 92,907 | -7.2 |
| Scottish total | 22,435 | -7.8 | 99,639 | -11.1 | 265,741 | -9.3 |
| UK total | 76,840 | -4.8 | 348,615 | -8.2 | 904,034 | -6.7 |
| Naples | 6,064 | 0.4 | 23,354 | -3.3 | 63,246 | -4.3 |
| Cargo (metric tonnes) | Month | % change | Jan to May 2010 | % change | Jun 2009 to May 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 136,165 | 36.1 | 589,361 | 22.8 | 1,387,853 | 6.8 |
| Stansted | 17,211 | 18.2 | 80,383 | 14.1 | 193,528 | 4.1 |
| London area total | 153,376 | 33.8 | 669,744 | 21.7 | 1,581,381 | 6.4 |
| Southampton | 2 | -88.3 | 26 | -65.2 | 161 | -19.7 |
| Glasgow | 264 | 30.2 | 1,679 | 98.4 | 3,545 | 22.2 |
| Edinburgh | 2,283 | 31.4 | 9,693 | -4.8 | 23,582 | 55.1 |
| Aberdeen | 418 | 7.8 | 1,953 | -10.2 | 4,698 | 3.2 |
| Scottish total | 2,966 | 27.4 | 13,325 | 0.9 | 31,825 | 40.5 |
| UK total | 156,344 | 33.7 | 683,095 | 21.2 | 1,613,367 | 6.9 |
| Naples | 169 | -3.2 | 895 | 3.3 | 2,015 | 11.1 |
Market comparison - UK airports May 2010
| Market | BAA total May 2009 (000s) | BAA total May 2010 (000s) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK & Channel Islands | 1,641.9 | 1,371.7 | -16.5 |
| Ireland | 401.1 | 337.6 | -15.8 |
| European scheduled | 3,801.8 | 3,766.9 | -0.9 |
| European charter* | 221.4 | 233.1 | 5.3 |
| North Atlantic | 1,351.5 | 1,319.0 | -2.4 |
| Other long haul | 1,544.1 | 1,526.6 | -1.1 |
| Total | 8,961.7 | 8,554.8 | -4.5 |
* Includes North African charter
Note: Origins and destinations are classified according to ultimate origin or destination of aircraft in the case of multi-sector flights.
Note: Figures for the market sectors have been rounded. Totals as per Traffic Summary.
