Ferrovial shares up as BAA sees “encouraging signs of growth”

BAA reports a "virtual stabilisation" in passenger numbers at London Heathrow Airport in Jan-2010 (-0.5% year-on-year), while passenger traffic at London Stansted was weaker (-5.6% year-on-year). Both airports experienced double-digit growth in cargo volumes for the month, off a weaker base. Details of BAA's traffic report for Jan-2010 include:

• Passenger numbers: 7.2 million, -3.1% year-on-year;
  • London Heathrow: 4.8 million, -0.5%;
  • London Stansted: 1.2 million, -5.6%;
• Cargo volume: 123,576 tonnes, +13.9%;
  • Heathrow: 106,299 tonnes, +14.8%;
  • Stansted: 15,165 tonnes, +14.2%;
• Aircraft movements: 68,516, -7.3%;
  • Heathrow: 36,128, -4.7%;
  • Stansted: 11,293, -5.4%.

Meanwhile, the UK's Competition Commission (CC) has sought leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal against the Competition Appeal Tribunal's (CAT) judgment, in Dec-2009, which allowed a challenge to the CC's report on BAA airports. In the report, BAA Airport Markets Investigation, the CC called for BAA to divest both Gatwick and Stansted airports and also either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport. The appeal is on the grounds that the CAT was wrong to conclude that there was a connection between Professor Moizer and Manchester Airports Group giving rise to "apparent bias".

Cargo volumes at Frankfurt Airport surge

Comparing the European hubs, Frankfurt Airport witnessed a 3.5% year-on-year improvement in passenger numbers and 30.1% year-on-year improvement in cargo volume in Jan-2010. Shares in Fraport, operator of Frankfurt Airport jumped 3.0% yesterday. Details of Fraport's traffic report for Jan-2010 include:

• Passenger numbers: 5.0 million, +6.6% year-on-year;
  • Frankfurt: 3.7 million, +3.5%;
• Cargo volume: 180,984 tonnes, +27.6%;
  • Frankfurt: 161,636 tonnes, +30.1%;
• Aircraft movements: 46,659, +4.3%;
  • Frankfurt: 35,278, -0.5%.

Meanwhile, shares in Denmark's Copenhagen Airport led the way down yesterday (-1.3%), despite a positive traffic report for Jan-2010, on continued investor concern over SAS. Total passenger traffic at the airport increased by 5.7% year-on-year, led a 22.1% improvement in domestic passenger numbers. The full traffic report is available in today's edition of Airport Business Daily.

Malaysia Airports follows the upward trend

In Southeast Asia, there are also signs of an improvement in traffic. Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport handled 3.1 million passengers in Dec-2009 (+18.6% year-on-year) and 53,967 tonnes of cargo (+21.4% year-on-year), as aircraft movements rose 7,7% year-on-year to 20.502. Shares in Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) closed 2.2% higher yesterday.

Full traffic reports of the featured airports are available in today's edition of Airport Business Daily - which contains over 50 strategic news updates from around the world, also including these financial and traffic highlights today:

• HACTL reports surge in Jan-2010 traffic;
• Irish Air Traffic reports small fall in Jan-2010 traffic;
• Santiago Airport reports solid rise in Dec-2009 int'l pax numbers;
• Beijing Capital International Airport reports passenger numbers up 7.4% in Jan-2010;
• Munich Airport expects passenger numbers to increase 3% in 2010;
• CAAC Central and Southern Regional Administration reports Jan-2010 airport traffic highlights.

Selected airports daily share price movements (% change): 10-Feb-2010

Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation & Yahoo! Finance