British airport operator BAA today reported passenger growth had slowed to 3 per cent in November but predicted year end growth of "over 6 per cent".
The 3 per cent growth was down from 5.2 per cent in October and 7.5 per cent in the six months to September. In November the group handled 10.2 million passengers.
The shortfall reflected growth of just 1.2 per cent at Heathrow where traffic was suppressed by the US presidential election and thanksgiving and more generally by fuel surcharges and the reduction in British Airways's schedule.
Gatwick's traffic increased 4.6 per cent, reflecting growth in scheduled markets which offset a significant decline in charter traffic.
Stansted's 4.2 per cent growth was also slower than in previous months.
BAA noted that while EasyJet and other airlines continued to enjoy good growth at Stansted in November, Ryanair's traffic growth was low.