• 12.7m passengers pass through company’s seven airports
• Lowest figure for nine months
• Edinburgh bucks the trend

The number of travellers using major UK airports declined to its lowest level for nine months in June, BAA said today.

The airport operator said a total of 12.7m passengers passed through its airports last month, a reduction of 5.9% on the same period last year.

But the firm, which saw a 7.3% fall in May, said this was the best underlying figure since last September.

BAA had posted a 2.3% decline in passenger numbers in April but this rose to 6.8% when the effect of a late Easter was stripped out.

Heathrow recorded a comparatively modest fall of 3.1% because of its large number of transfer flights.

Stansted, the base for several low-cost carriers including Ryanair and easyJet, was the worst affected airport, falling 11.5%.

In the six months to June 2009, the Essex airport is down 14.4%, compared with the same period last year, as carriers have slashed capacity at the airport.

Domestic traffic was down 8.1% in June, European scheduled flight passengers were reduced by 2.8% and travellers on North Atlantic routes were 9.4% lower.

Long-haul flights were the most resilient sector, almost flat on last year at a 0.2% reduction.

Edinburgh was the only airport to register an increase in traveller numbers, at 1.4% – its third month of growth.

Gatwick had 7.6% fewer passengers in June, while Glasgow and Aberdeen dropped 10.9% and 9.8% respectively.

BAA is embroiled in a battle against the Competition Commission’s decision to make it sell three of its airports.

The commission ruled earlier this year that BAA’s ownership of seven UK airports was anti-competitive and ordered the firm to sell Gatwick and Stansted airports as well as either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

BAA had already decided to sell Gatwick in West Sussex and said last month the sale process was continuing.