British Airways said passenger traffic fell in February as the recession damped demand for corporate travel and heavy snow closed UK airports.
Traffic, or the number of passengers multiplied by the distance flown, dropped by 8.3 per cent last month from a year earlier, with bookings sliding 20 per cent in first- and business-class sections and 5.5 per cent for economy seats, the London-based airline said today.
Passenger numbers fell 10 per cent to 2.17 million.
British Airways is forecasting an operating loss of £150 million ($211 million) this fiscal year and will scrap executive bonuses as demand for travel wanes.
Airlines lost as much as $8 billion last year, the International Air Transport Association said March 2nd.
The traffic slump at BA contrasts with growth in passenger numbers at Ryanair.
Reuters