Heathrow users enjoy Olympic Games effect as passenger numbers lulled

By ROB DAVIES FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Updated:

A lull in passenger numbers due to the Olympics made Heathrow slightly more bearable, with customer satisfaction at Britain’s busiest airport reaching record levels.

BAA, which owns five UK airports, said overall traffic in July was down 4.1pc on last year, while Heathrow recorded a 4.4pc slump to 6.6m passengers.

The firm said it was ‘likely that the Olympics played a part, with UK passengers staying at home as well as non-Olympic visitors from overseas choosing to defer their journeys’.

BAA: Passenger traffic at all its five UK airports dipped

BAA: Passenger traffic at all its five UK airports dipped

The extra elbow room in Heathrow’s overstuffed terminals proved popular, with the airport recording its highest ever rating for customer satisfaction in the traditionally busy July period.

BAA boss Colin Matthews said the result was down to ‘seven years of hard work and planning, the warmth and enthusiasm of more than a thousand volunteers and additional Border Force staff’.

Stansted, which BAA will have to sell after a competition ruling, suffered a 5.3pc decline due to its heavy dependence on the struggling leisure market.

At Gatwick, owned by American firm Global Infrastructure Partners, passenger numbers were down 0.1pc on last year to 3.6m.

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