Spanish flights 'are responsible for UK air travel boom'
The popularity of flights to Spain from holidaymakers has been cited as a significant reason for a recent boom in overseas trips from Britons, new statistics show.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that 66.4 million trips abroad were made by British people in 2005 - representing over a three-fold increase on the levels observed in 1981.
Now air travel accounts for more than 81% of trips abroad, with sea travel declining in popularity markedly over the last 25 years, the statistics demonstrated.
The ONS stated: "The increase in the number of people travelling by plane over the last two decades is both a continuation and an acceleration of a long-term trend."
Recently, airport operator BAA revealed that it has observed an upturn in passenger numbers for March, with increases observed in all three of its Scottish airports.
The growth in airport traffic last year was attributed to an increase in tourists travelling to sporting events.
< Back to latest news