Cuts in leisure flights at Glasgow Airport contributed to a sharp slump in passenger numbers there last month, while growth at Edinburgh slowed.

Traffic was down across the three airports by nearly 4 per cent, with UK passengers down by 6.4 per cent.

BAA said airlines cutting routes, fare increases due to tax and fuel hikes and increased security checks were factors for the decline. However, it expected numbers to take off again this summer with the launch of more than 35 new routes.

Passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport fell 9.1 per cent to 735,500 on last May, with their annual rate of decline accelerating to 3.4 per cent, at 8.6 million.

At Aberdeen, passenger numbers also fell last month, by 1.3 per cent to 297,500, with the annual rate increasing 3.2 per cent to 3.4 million. In Edinburgh, the total grew by 0.7 per cent last month to 810,000, with airport traffic rising by 4.5 per cent in the last year to 9.1 million passengers.

BAA said the credit crunch hit Glasgow harder due to its reliance on leisure travel. Donald Morrison, its spokesman, said the decline in the UK charter industry also had a disproportionate impact in Glasgow.

He added: "These are testing times for airlines around the world, with soaring fuel prices resulting in higher ticket prices and dampening demand for air travel."

Mr Morrison said the scale of Glasgow's decrease last month was due to last year's figures being inflated by the UEFA cup final being held in the city.

Alison McInnes, the Scottish Lib Dems' transport spokeswoman, said: "Given fuel prices, it is unsurprising demand for domestic flights is dropping. I suspect more passengers are turning to the train.This is why we are pressing for a high-speed rail link between Scotland and London."

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