Southampton Airport passengers rise by 9.1%

The number of passengers flying from Southampton Airport rose by 9.1 per cent last month, according to new figures.

More than 127,000 British travellers took off from the hub in February, with the half-term week alone resulting in more than 41,000 people flying to holiday and business destinations at home and abroad.

The most popular destination for the month was Edinburgh, with Amsterdam and Paris among the top international destinations.

"It is very exciting news that Southampton Airport is continuing to prosper and really positions BAA Southampton as the UK's number one regional airport," commented Sally Linskey, chief executive of strategic business partnership Business Southampton.

In total, BAA airports saw passenger growth of 0.6 per cent last month, compared with numbers collected at the same time last year.

Long-haul traffic soared by 6.3 per cent, while scheduled travel to European destinations grew by 1.9 per cent.

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