BAA records August traffic increase

Airport operator BAA has announced that it saw a 5.9 per cent increase in passengers using its hubs during August - traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for holidaymakers flocking abroad.

Last month, 15.2 million travellers passed through BAA airports across the UK, it said, taking the total number of passengers to almost 149 million for the 12 months to August.

Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Southampton airports saw the greatest passenger growth in England last month, while Aberdeen and Edinburgh led the way in Scotland.

Scheduled traffic to the North Atlantic region rose by 10.2 per cent in August, followed by Europe (8.2 per cent) and other long-haul traffic (6.1 per cent).

According to the Association of British Travel Agents, almost two million Britons were estimated to have gone away for the August bank holiday weekend alone, with popular destinations including the Canary Islands, Egypt and Turkey.

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