The given table compares the figures for passenger numbers at three major British airports over a 6-year period, from 1998 to 2003. Overall, the number of travelers using Gatwick and Stansted airports experienced an upward trend over the period, while passenger numbers at Heathrow showed some fluctuations.
In the first half of the period, Heathrow Airport saw a significant increase of 21 million, from 27.2 million in 1998 to a peak of 48.2 million in 2000. However, this was followed by a marked fall to 33.2 million in 2002, before rising again to 45.6 million in 2003.
In contrast, there was a sharp rise in the figures for travelers at Gatwick Airport between 1998 and 2003, which meant that the number of users at this airport was far more than the other airports. Gatwick reached a peak in 2003 with 69.3 million travelers, which was the biggest number during this period. Stansted Airport, starting with the lowest figures, experienced a radical increase of 22.6 million travelers between 1998 and 2001. Following this rapid expansion, passenger numbers plateaued at 43.3 million for the remainder of the period.