BAA traffic commentary: January 2009
BAA’s UK airports handled a total of 9.4 million passengers in January 2009, a reduction of 6.3% on the same month in 2008.
The latest monthly figures demonstrate that the rate of decline continues to slow. In November 2008, traffic fell by 8.9%. The following month, the reduction was 6.9%.
In January, UK domestic traffic was down 12.0%, while North Atlantic traffic was down by 5.9%. Other long-haul traffic fell by an overall 1.9%. European scheduled activity was 6.0% lower.
In line with recent months, Heathrow recorded a drop of only 2.1%, reflecting an element of the hub’s resilience and the positive impact of Open Skies. Gatwick’s traffic was down in total by 10.8%. However, within this reduction there is a 1.1% increase in European scheduled traffic that was more than offset by a drop in North Atlantic and other long-haul traffic (mainly down to US carriers moving services to Heathrow) and the impact of the loss of airlines such as Zoom and XL.
Stansted Airport’s traffic was 11.2% lower than last year and Southampton dipped by 11.5%. In Scotland, the three airports together recorded a loss of 8.7%. Glasgow recorded a decline of 12.2% while Edinburgh and Aberdeen dropped 5.8% and 8.6% respectively.
The total number of air transport movements was down by 7.5% across BAA. January also saw a further reduction in cargo activity with an overall drop of 15.9%.
BAA traffic summary: January 2009
| Terminal passengers (000s) | Month | % change | Feb 2008 to Jan 2009 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 4,853.2 | -2.1 | 66,805.2 | -1.5 |
| Gatwick | 1,980.8 | -10.8 | 33,939.4 | -3.6 |
| Stansted | 1,287.6 | -11.2 | 22,175.9 | -6.1 |
| London area total | 8,121.6 | -5.9 | 122,920.4 | -2.9 |
| Southampton | 105.2 | -11.5 | 1,937.4 | -1.3 |
| Glasgow | 440.3 | -12.2 | 8,075.9 | -7.2 |
| Edinburgh | 554.2 | -5.8 | 8,959.2 | -1.1 |
| Aberdeen | 212.1 | -8.6 | 3,293.2 | -3.8 |
| Scottish total | 1,206.6 | -8.7 | 20,328.3 | -4.0 |
| UK total | 9,433.4 | -6.3 | 145,186.2 | -3.0 |
| Naples | 276.3 | -20.6 | 5,531.4 | -4.1 |
| Air transport movements | Month | % change | Feb 2008 to Jan 2009 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 37,928 | -2.1 | 472,328 | -0.6 |
| Gatwick | 17,501 | -9.6 | 254,498 | -1.8 |
| Stansted | 11,935 | -14.9 | 175,069 | -8.0 |
| London area total | 67,364 | -6.6 | 901,895 | -2.5 |
| Southampton | 2,784 | -12.9 | 44,489 | -4.5 |
| Glasgow | 5,517 | -14.0 | 85,869 | -7.4 |
| Edinburgh | 8,086 | -9.8 | 113,550 | -1.2 |
| Aberdeen | 7,638 | -5.8 | 102,754 | -2.2 |
| Scottish total | 21,241 | -9.6 | 302,173 | -3.4 |
| UK total | 91,389 | -7.5 | 1,248,557 | -2.8 |
| Naples | 4,169 | -11.3 | 68,017 | -6.1 |
| Cargo (metric tonnes) | Month | % change | Feb 2008 to Jan 2009 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 92,580 | -12.2 | 1,387,673 | 4.9 |
| Gatwick | 5,895 | -49.4 | 101,971 | -39.9 |
| Stansted | 13,283 | -21.6 | 195,837 | -5.7 |
| London area total | 111,758 | -16.6 | 1,685,481 | -0.9 |
| Southampton | 14 | -58.8 | 244 | -21.5 |
| Glasgow | 121 | -59.3 | 3,533 | -17.1 |
| Edinburgh | 2,064 | 52.3 | 10,953 | -44.9 |
| Aberdeen | 410 | 26.9 | 4,185 | 6.0 |
| Scottish total | 2,595 | 31.4 | 18,671 | -33.5 |
| UK total | 114,367 | -15.9 | 1,704,396 | -1.4 |
| Naples | 148 | -15.9 | 2,100 | -1.4 |
Market comparison - UK airports January 2009
| Market | BAA total January 2008 (000s) | BAA total January 2009 (000s) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK & Channel Islands | 1,791.9 | 1,577.4 | -12.0 |
| Ireland | 465.0 | 435.5 | -6.3 |
| European scheduled | 3,913.4 | 3,679.4 | -6.0 |
| European charter* | 402.5 | 365.3 | -9.3 |
| North Atlantic | 1,284.8 | 1,208.6 | -5.9 |
| Other long haul | 2,210.3 | 2,167.2 | -1.9 |
| Total | 10,067.9 | 9,433.4 | -6.3 |
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.
