BAA's passenger traffic in April was down 22.7% on the same month last year, due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud which closed UK airspace for several days.
For the month as a whole BAA's UK airports handled a total of 6.9 million passengers. Losses attributable to the volcanic ash cloud were estimated to be as follows :-
| Airport | Terminal passengers (000s) | % of expected traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 1,180 | 21% |
| Stansted | 330 | 21% |
| Southampton | 45 | 27% |
| Glasgow | 115 | 22% |
| Edinburgh | 185 | 26% |
| Aberdeen | 45 | 20% |
| BAA UK Total | 1,900 | 21.5% |
In total the Group recorded a decrease of 21.0% in the number of air transport movements handled, with all airports reporting falls of between 15 and 25%. Reflecting the current underlying strength of the air cargo business, cargo tonnage in April was up by 6.2% on last year, despite the disruption
BAA traffic summary: April 2010
| Terminal passengers (000s) | Month | % change | Jan to Apr 2010 | % change | May 2009 to Apr 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 4,446.5 | -20.8 | 19,088.9 | -4.7 | 64,966.6 | -1.7 |
| Stansted | 1,232.0 | -24.4 | 5,156.3 | -10.3 | 19,361.2 | -9.5 |
| London area total | 5,678.6 | -21.6 | 24,245.3 | -5.9 | 84,327.8 | -3.6 |
| Southampton | 121.3 | -19.4 | 473.6 | -5.2 | 1,765.4 | -5.5 |
| Glasgow | 403.3 | -29.2 | 1,664.6 | -14.9 | 6,928.2 | -11.6 |
| Edinburgh | 539.6 | -28.3 | 2,306.5 | -10.0 | 8,790.2 | -1.1 |
| Aberdeen | 185.5 | -26.0 | 794.1 | -12.5 | 2,886.3 | -9.9 |
| Scottish total | 1,128.4 | -28.2 | 4,765.2 | -12.2 | 18,604.7 | -6.6 |
| UK total | 6,928.3 | -22.7 | 29,484.1 | -7.0 | 104,697.8 | -4.2 |
| Naples | 419.8 | -6.0 | 1,425.6 | 3.0 | 5,332.6 | -1.1 |
| Air transport movements | Month | % change | Jan to Apr 2010 | % change | May 2009 to Apr 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 31,098 | -19.7 | 139,650 | -7.5 | 448,696 | -4.4 |
| Stansted | 9,804 | -22.2 | 43,441 | -9.4 | 151,760 | -9.5 |
| London area total | 40,902 | -20.3 | 183,091 | -7.9 | 600,456 | -5.8 |
| Southampton | 2,898 | -16.5 | 11,480 | -6.3 | 39,792 | -8.0 |
| Glasgow | 4,739 | -24.2 | 19,813 | -13.8 | 71,092 | -14.4 |
| Edinburgh | 6,845 | -24.4 | 29,901 | -11.3 | 103,241 | -7.5 |
| Aberdeen | 6,268 | -21.1 | 27,490 | -11.5 | 93,302 | -7.7 |
| Scottish total | 17,852 | -23.2 | 77,204 | -12.0 | 267,635 | -9.5 |
| UK total | 61,652 | -21.0 | 271,775 | -9.1 | 907,883 | -7.0 |
| Naples | 4,772 | -9.2 | 17,290 | -4.5 | 63,220 | -5.2 |
| Cargo (metric tonnes) | Month | % change | Jan to Apr 2010 | % change | May 2009 to Apr 2010 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 100,477 | 7.8 | 453,197 | 19.3 | 1,351,733 | 2.1 |
| Stansted | 13,704 | -7.6 | 63,172 | 13.0 | 190,881 | 1.2 |
| London area total | 114,181 | 5.7 | 516,368 | 18.5 | 1,542,614 | 2.0 |
| Southampton | 1 | -91.0 | 24 | -58.3 | 176 | -13.5 |
| Glasgow | 562 | 195.0 | 1,414 | 119.9 | 3,484 | 15.1 |
| Edinburgh | 2,664 | 18.0 | 7,410 | -12.2 | 23,036 | 59.6 |
| Aberdeen | 373 | -14.6 | 1,535 | -14.2 | 4,667 | 3.4 |
| Scottish total | 3,599 | 24.7 | 10,359 | -4.7 | 31,187 | 42.0 |
| UK total | 117,782 | 6.2 | 526,752 | 17.9 | 1,573,977 | 2.6 |
| Naples | 266 | -4.8 | 726 | 5.0 | 2,020 | 9.1 |
Market comparison - UK airports April 2010
| Market | BAA total April 2009 (000s) | BAA total April 2010 (000s) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK & Channel Islands | 1,615.7 | 1,168.9 | -27.7 |
| Ireland | 398.4 | 254.5 | -36.1 |
| European scheduled | 3,815.8 | 2,947.0 | -22.8 |
| European charter* | 117.8 | 96.3 | -18.2 |
| North Atlantic | 1,272.2 | 1,036.2 | -18.6 |
| Other long haul | 1,744.1 | 1,425.4 | -18.3 |
| Total | 8,964.1 | 6,928.3 | -22.7 |
* 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.
