BAA has confirmed that London continues as the centre of the world”s airline operations, a record 126m passengers passing through its gateway airports in 2006. Heathrow was level pegging with 67.3m passengers, Gatwick 34.1m up 4% and Stansted at 23.7 showing a 7.6% rise. With Luton and London City added the figure is close to 140m passengers passing through the London airports last year, demonstrating air transport”s vital importance to Britain”s economy.
By way of comparison the next busiest hub, New York, moved its 100m passenger for the year on 20 December. The Port of New York and New Jersey also operates three airports, JFK, Newark and the waterside LaGuardia. The vast majority of the traffic is domestic. Although figures are not to hand Tokyo is likely to be in third place around 95m passengers, although sceptics will point out that Narita, the main international operation, is 40 miles from the city centre. Haneda, in Tokyo Bay and part of the subway system moved 63m passengers in 2005.
Although official figures have not yet been published Atlanta Georgia, is expected to continue as the world”s busiest airport, the numbers down from 85.9m to 83.5m . Likewise O”Hare Chicago will remain in second place but is not likely to exceed the 2005 number of 68m.