CONFIDENCE in air travel has returned to pre-September 11 levels for the first time, airports operator BAA has announced.

The group said the number of passengers using long-haul routes last month was similar to those flying in August 2001 - the month before terrorists used passenger jets to attack targets in the US.

BAA said its seven UK airports, which include Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Glasgow, handled a record 14.2 million passengers last month.

This was an increase of eight per cent on last year, with the biggest rise in North Atlantic and other long-haul routes as the sector confirmed its recovery.

BAA said the number of passengers flying to and from North America rose 12.3 per cent last month, while those travelling on other long-haul routes increased by 14.6 per cent.

The popularity of no-frills travel boosted European routes, which rose by 10.8 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively. The weakest sector last month was European charter travel, which recorded a 6.2 per cent fall in passenger numbers.

Stansted, the main UK base of Ryanair, recorded the fastest growth of the London airports with a 10.2 per cent increase, while Heathrow rose 7.9 per cent and Gatwick 6.1 per cent.