LONDON: Britain's top share index slipped on Tuesday, hit by falling travel and leisure stocks after a series of explosions in Brussels at its airport and a metro station.
The FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure sector was 1.6 percent lower, with airlines IAG and easyJet down 4 percent and 3.5 percent respectively.
Other travel groups such as TUI and cruise operator Carnival fell around 3 percent, while Intercontinental Hotel Group fell 2.3 percent.
Among mid-caps, tour group Thomas Cook fell 5.4 percent. It said that bookings were lower than last year due to uncertain geopolitical conditions, but prices were holding up and it was sticking with its annual guidance.
"(Events in Brussels are) clearly and understandably going to dent consumer confidence and it's making life very difficult for the travel companies and the airlines, and that was evidenced with Thomas Cook today, they (had) a very cautious trading update," Wyn Ellis, director of travel & leisure equity research at Numis Securities, said.
"The problem now is that we're having a whole series of these events, and until they stop, the fear is that they're going to continue."
Britain's FTSE 100 index was down 26.45 points, or 0.4 percent, at 6,158.13 at 0935 GMT, having touched its lowest level since March 11 in early trade.
Gold rose after investors sough so-called "safe haven" assets, boosting precious metals miners Fresnillo and Randgold, up 2.1 percent and 1.4 percent respectively.
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