City airport bucks UK trend by out-performing nearest rivals

EDINBURGH Airport is the only one of the UK's ten busiest terminals to record a growth in passengers numbers in the last year, new figures have shown.

The capital's airport is now the sixth largest in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, overtaking Birmingham and closing in on its nearest rival Luton.

Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority showed that Edinburgh was the only airport in the top ten to grow in the past 12 months, with passenger numbers increasing by 1.6 per cent.

According to airport owner BAA, if last year's trends continue, Edinburgh is set to break into the top five in a matter of months, with nearest rival Luton recording a decline of 8.6 per cent last year.

Gordon Dewar, managing director of Edinburgh Airport, said: "We are striving to be considered as Scotland's airport of choice, and these figures show how far we have come in achieving that.

I'm proud that this has meant growth in what has been an incredibly tough period."