Illustrative graph based on Heathrow Airport projections. It shows Heathrow's current ‘terminating’ business passengers (those starting or ending their journey at the airport), based on the 2012 CAA Passenger Survey. The schematic then follows the trend projected by Heathrow for total passengers: 5% annual growth for five years after a new runway opens and 2.5% pa growth after that.

The graph shows terminating business passengers at Heathrow based on the annual CAA Passenger Survey. It makes clear that business passenger numbers at Heathrow have followed a long-term decline, which began even before the recession hit or anyone was talking about a ‘capacity crunch’.

Figures for UK business travel are based on ONS Travel Trends (which is formulated using CAA data) and assume that each "trip" listed by the ONS consists of an outward and a return leg. The fact that the UK trend has fallen more slowly than the Heathrow trend may reflect the fact that companies are increasingly choosing to fly from other airports or using low-cost airlines that don’t fly from Heathrow.

Proportion based on all UK air travel as listed in the ONS Travel Trends. Figures from the Department for Transport confirm that since 2000 business passengers have been falling consistently as a percentage of total passengers at all major UK airports.

British businesses currently spend around £17.5 billion each year on business travel, most of it on flying staff to meetings. A WWF survey of FTSE 500 companies shows that 80% are now saving money from avoided flights and associated expenses.

WWF's One in Five Challenge helps business (and government) to cut 20% of their flights within five years by using alternatives such as rail and videoconferencing. In reality, participants have gone further and faster, averaging a 38% reduction in flights and savings of £2.1 million over three years. They have found reducing flying makes good business sense as it not only cuts costs and carbon but also improves productivity, efficiency, collaboration, work-life balance and the speed of decision-making. If British business could achieve even half what these ‘Challengers’ have, UK business flying would be cut by 20% in five years. See wwf.org.uk/oneinfive for more information.

The graph shows the projected growth in global video conferencing users, based on figures from Cisco. The rise of affordable online communication tools also helps explain why – in a WWF survey – only 1 in 7 of the FTSE 500 companies that have reduced their flights intend to return to their previous levels of flying.

Figures based on ONS Travel Trends 2012. The net loss of economic activity the UK experiences through tourism is known as the ‘tourism deficit’.