www.caa.co.uk

The decline in airport passengers can be seen all over the UK. In fact, research has shown that, for the first time since 1991, UK passenger numbers are on their way down. The Civil Aviation Authority (also known as CAA) has noted that the biggest downturn in UK airport passengers was seen at the very end of 2008.

As of 2008, UK airports as a whole handled just under 235 million fliers. This is a number that is down 1.9 percent from 2007 figures. The Civil Aviation Authority has stated that this is only the fourth time that the airline industry has seen back to back years of declines in passenger numbers since the end of the Second World War. In fact, reports show that there were almost four million less travelers passing through airports from October through December of 2008. This is compared to numbers based on the same period of 2007.

However, there are some airports in the UK that are getting hit harder than others. Airports that are located in London, such as Gatwick, Luton, and Heathrow, have shown a big annual fall of 2 percent in 2008. When comparing numbers to 2007, this is a decline of 7.9 percent.

Of course, the Civil Aviation Authority is quick to point out that these are numbers that have been apparent for many years. Although they may have been badly affected by the downturn in the economy, they have also been affected by the increased competition with rail services in these areas. The Civil Aviation Aviation Authority is very likely to be publishing the figures of each individual airport in the next few days.

For more information visit: www.caa.co.uk