Airline cutback caused by high fuel costs

The number of flights passing through UK airspace has dropped for the first time in almost seven years, since the downturn that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. This time the downturn is blamed on high fuel costs that have forced carriers to cut back on services.

NATS, the company handling UK air traffic, reported that it handled approximately 1,400 fewer flights this July than July of last year. This latest confirmation of the dramatic number of flight cuts follows recent industry announcements that airlines will be flying around 60 million fewer seats in the last quarter of 2008, globally.

The steep drop in numbers of flights is coming during the peak summer travel season, when carriers are supposed to be the busiest. The director of operations at NATS, Ian Hall, said: “The aviation industry has always been a barometer of the wider economy so it should not come as any surprise to see a slight slowdown, particularly since the airlines have signalled some cutbacks to services.”

NATS’ two largest customers are Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Both broke records for the month, but the overall trend remains negative. Trans-Atlantic flight numbers dropped by 457, and domestic numbers dropped by 201, although environmentalists are crediting the resurgence of rail travel for much of the decreases in flight numbers.

www.nats.co.uk