Airports operator BAA announced a rise in passenger traffic today as the tourist sector continued its recovery.

BAA, which operates seven UK airports including Gatwick, has been rocked by the foot-and-mouth crisis and the September 11 terror attacks.

But today the company said 10.7 million people passed through its airports in May.

That represents an 0.8 per cent improvement on the same month last year and up on April's 9.7 million.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee boosted the figures. Although the celebrations were held in June, people took advantage of the long break and jetted off at the end of May.

The start of summer bookings also helped the recovery while demand for low-cost airlines continued unabated.

BAA said the tourist sector was still a way off full recovery despite the promising figures.