UK airport volumes hit by London attacks

The bomb attacks on the London Underground has had an effect on travel in Britain, says the country's biggest airport operator…

The bomb attacks on the London Underground has had an effect on travel in Britain, says the country's biggest airport operator, BAA.

Passenger traffic in July rose 2.6 per cent year-on-year, but volumes were down.

BAA - whose seven airports include London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted - said passenger traffic decreased at Heathrow in the period.

However, it rose at Gatwick and Stansted, where rapidly expanding low-cost carriers have their bases.

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BAA carried 14.6 million passengers in the month.

BAA said Heathrow traffic fell by 0.6 per cent in July, while Gatwick rose 3.3 per cent and Stansted gained 6.1 per cent.

In the same month a year ago, passenger traffic through BAA's airports reached pre-September 2001 levels for the first time.

Major airlines have said the short-term impact of the July 7th bombings in the capital, which killed 52 people, was not material, although analysts say it is too early to determine the long-term impact.