Busiest month ever for Scots airports

Scotland's biggest airports recorded their busiest ever month on record in July, with nearly 2.5 million passengers using the country's two main hubs.

A total of 1,413,272 passengers passed through Edinburgh Airport in July.

A total of 1,413,272 passengers passed through Edinburgh Airport, the highest footfall ever for any Scottish terminal and a 6.1% increase on the 1,332,282 who travelled using the hub in the previous July.

The rise in passenger numbers was even sharper at Glasgow Airport, where more than 1,082,000 passengers travelled through its doors last month.

It represented the airport’s busiest ever month, as well as a 6.2% spike in passengers compared to the same period in 2016.

The passenger increase at Edinburgh Airport was due to a rise in both international and domestic travellers, while at Glasgow Airport, international traffic grew by 10.1%, driven by demand for long-haul routes to destinations including Dubai, New York and Orlando. EU-scheduled services were also up by 14%.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “We are delighted to once again deliver the busiest ever month at a Scottish airport, highlighting the growing demand for flights into and out of Edinburgh Airport.

“And it’s incredible to think it was only in July 2013 when we had our first million passenger month, so these latest figures demonstrate the phenomenal growth that we have achieved.”

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “July is traditionally our busiest period of the year as passengers head off on their summer holidays, but to record our busiest ever month in 51 years of operation is a significant achievement.

“Looking ahead, Ryanair will introduce a number of new winter services in September and October to Frankfurt, Krakow and Madrid, while Lufthansa will also increase the current Munich service from one flight per week to four, ensuring we enter the second half of the year in a position of strength.”

Aberdeen Airport also recorded an increase in passenger numbers in July.

A total of 301,089 passengers travelled through the airport last month, up 2.7% on July 2016.

Domestic plane passengers increased 6.3% year on year while international traffic rose 1.2% in the same period.

Helipad traffic was down 8.6% year on year but the drop was less steep than in previous months.

Carol Benzie, managing director of Aberdeen Airport, said: “We believe that the modest return to growth being demonstrated in both domestic and international traffic mirrors the slowly growing confidence in the region.”