London Heathrow Airport has reported a fall in its July 2012 passenger traffic, despite the 2012 Olympic Games opening during the month.
The airport has reported that the fall in passenger traffic is due to ‘UK passengers staying at home, as well as non-Olympic visitors from overseas choosing to defer their journeys’, a situation that was not compensated for by the arrival of Olympic athletes, officials and international visitors to London for the sporting event.
BAA Ltd, owner and operator of six British airports including London Heathrow, has announced that the airport, which has been the official airport for the 2012 Olympic Games, has announced a passenger traffic figure of 6.6 million for July 2012, a drop of 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year.
The airport’s recently completed monthly survey, which asked passengers to rate their experience at the airport on a scale of 1 to 5, and where 5 stood for excellent service, resulted in arrivals being rated at 4.3, and departures at 4.22, setting a new record for the month of July.
BAA chief executive officer, Colin Matthews, said, ‘We are proud to have played our part in giving the very best welcome to London 2012 to athletes and visitors alike. Seven years of hard work and planning, the warmth and enthusiasm of more than a thousand volunteers and additional Border Force staff produced our strongest ever passenger satisfaction scores.’
Domestic traffic at the airport has increased by 1.2 percent in July 2012, compared with the same period last year, while international traffic has fallen by 6.6 percent for European destinations, and 6.35 percent for other routes, except North Atlantic destinations, when compared to July 2011.
