Regional airports "more convenient"

The recent growth in the number of routes offered by regional airports has benefited passengers in a number of ways, according to one expert.

According to a spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association, a "huge increase" has been recorded in the number of travellers using regional hubs, leading smaller market share for the main London airports.

He added that this decline for traditional airports is not necessarily indicative of any problems with their services, but is instead mainly due to passengers changing the way in which they travel overseas.

"The increase in routes being offered from smaller airports [is] of course more convenient to people - if they can fly from their local airport, they will," he commented.

Regional airports tend to offer mainly domestic and short-haul flights. Recent figures from the Department of Transport suggest that the proportion of Britons who use domestic services is on the rise.

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