Economic role

The economic benefits the aviation industry brings to the world are undeniable. Around 15% of the world's passengers fly through BAA's UK airports every year, making Britain the world's leading aviation hub.

As well as contributing to the national purse, we are significant employers in the areas around our airports. Not only this, but we try and grow our local economies further through an active programme of events. Just a few examples of our work are:

• Supporting 'Meet the Buyers' events at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted - where we link local businesses with potential buyers
• Developing employment skills in the community through the Gatwick Skills Centre
• At Heathrow we were runner-up in the Learning and Skills Council national Apprentice Employer of the Year Awards
• The new Stansted Airport Employment Skills Agency will provide a centralised recruitment function for employers and employees at the airport and a training centre.
• Employment forums at Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow bring us together with our suppliers and other external agencies and companies to facilitate a range of employments and training projects.

For more information please see the aviation and society section of our corporate responsibility report.

Some facts:

• Heathrow Airport alone contributes nearly 1% of UK GDP, making it the most economically productive single site in the UK
• The aviation industry supports 200,000 jobs and indirectly up to three times as many.
• Exports of services make up 8% of our national income
• 4.4 billion passengers travelled by air in 2006
• The tourist industry makes a large and growing contribution to the economy, directly contributing nearly 4% of the GDP
• Nearly three-quarters of international visitors to the UK arrive by air. These visitors spent £14.3 billion, directly benefiting our economy.
• Source: The Economic Contribution of the Aviation Industry in the UK published by Oxford Economic Forecasting, Autumn 2006.