War and Sars hit UK air travel

More runways may be built to cope with demand

The war in Iraq and the Sars virus have hit long-haul passenger numbers at the UK's airports, but 2003's late Easter filled in the gap with increasing numbers of short-haul holidaymakers, according to airport operator BAA.

Overall, 9.9 million people used BAA's seven airports in April, up 1.6% on the same month last year.

An 18% surge in European charter traffic was the main cause of the increase, as travellers poured abroad to take advantage of good weather and a late Easter holiday.

But the figures for March and April combined - to adjust for Easter - showed a 0.8% decline year on year, and long-haul flights were down 7.5% as war fears and alarm over the Sars respiratory virus dissuaded travellers from flying.

The North Atlantic route, among the busiest in the world, was less affected, showing a 5.4% decline.

Contrast

The gains were concentrated at BAA's regional airports, in stark contrast to the performance at London Heathrow, the world's busiest airport.

Heathrow traffic was down 3.6%, BAA said, thanks to the long-haul decline.

But the increasing popularity of charters and budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair meant that Stansted traffic rose 4.4% and Glasgow increased 9.1%.

And the European charter boom had its biggest effect at Southampton, with April producing a 43% leap in traffic over the same month last year.