Stansted sees drop in passengers

Cutbacks by low-cost airlines hit passenger numbers at Stansted Airport in November, operator BAA said today.

Ryanair and German budget airline Air Berlin’s moves to reduce their winter schedule caused a 6.3% decline in traffic at the airport compared to the same month last year.

Ryanair attacked Stansted’s higher costs and “appalling” service in July after the airport doubled its charges in April. The carrier said it was more profitable to ground seven of its 40 aircraft this winter than fly them.

BAA, which is owned by Spanish infrastructure firm Ferrovial, said 1.55 million passengers used the airport last month.

The fall in numbers at Stansted contrasted with a 1.5% increase in passengers to 10.8 million across the group’s seven UK airports.

Passengers tempted into transatlantic shopping trips by the weaker US dollar led to a 5.9% jump in North American traffic. Other long-haul routes were up 7%.

The increases compared with a 4.3% fall in domestic passengers, and flat European chartered traffic.

Among its other airports, Heathrow continued its recovery from the disruption of terrorist alerts in 2006 as passengers rose 2.4% to 5.22 million over the same month last year.

A 6.2% increase in November also lifted the number of passengers using Gatwick past 35 million in the past 12 months for the first time.

BAA also owns airports in Southampton, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow. Higher European traffic lifted passengers at Edinburgh, although Aberdeen and Glasgow slipped back compared to strong months last year.

The company said in November that it spent an additional £39m (€54m) on security and improvements across its airports during the first nine months of this year.

Operating profits fell 18.1% to £544m (€756m) in the period to September 30, as results were also knocked by one-off items, such as a loss on BAA’s disposal of Budapest airport and £16m (€22m) on preparing for Heathrow Terminal Five, due to open in March.