Passenger traffic at Stansted is falling sharply. The airport handled 6% fewer passenger in 2008 than in the previous year (22.3m passengers last year compared to 23.8m passengers in 2007). SSE therefore says that "increasing passenger numbers from 25mppa to 35mppa will not make any difference in the short term. Indeed, with the recent dramatic deterioration in the economic situation – both domestically and internationally – the UK is entering uncharted territory with regard to the future demand for air travel." 