BAA traffic dented by 8216;Olympics effect8217;

London Heathrow 8211; Europe8217;s busiest airport 8211; handled 6.5 million passengers,down 1.9 percent year-on-year.

The reduction was more pronounced in the first two weeks of August 8211; down 4.6 percent 8211; than in the rest of the month 8211; up 0.3 percent. This suggests a continuation of the 8216;Olympics effect8217; reported in July,with UK passengers staying at home as well as non-Olympic visitors from overseas choosing to defer their journeys,said BAA8217;s chief executive Colin Matthews.

BAA,which has been criticised in the past for its handling of snow and volcanic ash related disruptions,said years of planning helped it cope well with the influx of passengers flying into London for the Games.

August passenger traffic at London Stansted airport fell 5.2 percent year-on-year and Southampton dropped 6.4 percent. Traffic at Scotland8217;s Aberdeen rose 9.2 percent and Glasgow was up 3.1 percent.

The amount of cargo carried across the group8217;s five airports was up 2.6 percent on the same month last year,BAA said.