The Civil Aviation Authority (website: www.caa.co.uk) has published the findings of its 2007 air passenger survey, which is based on input from more than 210,000 departing passengers at several UK airports.
After polling business and leisure travellers at all four major London airports, as well as four regional hubs, researchers found a number of distinct passenger habits at different UK bases.
Overall, some 137 million people passed through Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton in 2007 – more than 50 per cent of the total 241 million people flying out of the UK last year.
Among the survey’s key findings was the fact that business travellers make up 36 per cent of all traffic at London Heathrow, compared with 21 per cent at Luton and 19 per cent at Stansted.
At Liverpool John Lennon Airport some 43 per cent of passengers were jetting off to visit friends and relatives, while that figure fell to just 32 per cent at Heathrow and a mere 10 per cent at Humberside.
Finally, public transport usage was significantly higher at London airports than elsewhere – ranging from 30 to 45 per cent – compared with just 11 per cent for Manchester and 7 per cent for Doncaster Sheffield.
