There has been a continued decline in the number of airline passengers traveling from the UK. A continued decline in passenger figures is being reported by all of the UK’s busiest and most popular regional airports.

Some of the most popular flight destinations from the UK are the most acutely affected with a 16% fall in passengers traveling to Spain and 10% fewer traveling to the United States from London. Certain UK airports have been more badly affected by the downturn in air travel with Gatwick airport reporting a loss of 2 million passengers and traffic at Prestwick airport down by 25%.

There has been a fall of aroung 15% in business travelers during the first quarter of 2009 according to the Guild of Travel Management Companies. This is the fourth consecutive quarter in which surveys have shown a consistent decline in passengers.

It is thought that the decline has been fueled by the fall in value of sterling along with the recession.There are many British holidaymakers who have chosen to spend their vacations closer to home this year rather than fly to Spain or America.

Some airlines are making cutbacks as a direct result of the decline in business. Budget airline BMIBaby has announced that it will shrink in size by as much as one third during 2010 with cuts in routes from Cardiff, Birmigham and Manchester. British Airways have announced that they have been forced to reduce the number of cabin crew on flights from Heathrow due to the unprecedented losses they had suffered during the peak summer months.

It has been reported that we are through the worst of the recession and that there is now evidence of the green shoots of recovery. Unfortunately for the air transport industry it looks like there is some way to go before passenger figures return to the pre-recession highs.

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