Tough year ahead for Mexican airport firms

MEXICO CITY, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Mexican airport operators are bracing for a tough 2009 as small airlines, hurt by the financial crisis and fuel costs, close businesses and travelers fly less.

Leading airport operator GAP (GAPB.MX) (PAC.N) warned on Wednesday it sees 2009 passenger traffic down between 3 percent and 5 percent compared with the expected results for 2008.