Location helps growth from short hops to long haul

TWO decades ago Edinburgh was largely a domestic airport, with the capital's residents forced to head west to board most direct flights abroad.

For years, Glasgow had been Scotland's busiest airport, buoyed by attracting a series of prestigious transatlantic routes when Prestwick lost its government-imposed stranglehold in 1990.

Situated in Scotland's main conurbation, Glasgow Airport also long reigned supreme in the holiday charter market, which drew in passengers from across Scotland.

However, the airport's location west of the city has latterly played against it, as mounting traffic congestion on the M8 through Glasgow made travelling times, especially at peak hours, uncertain. It remains to be seen whether the opening of the M74 extension next year will ease the bottleneck – or just encourage more people to drive.

By contrast, Edinburgh has been able to capitalise on its own westerly position – making it far handier to access from much of the Central Belt, even though it lacks a direct motorway link.

Traditionally, the airport's passengers have predominantly been business travellers to London and other UK cities.

However, this profile has steadily changed as the airport has grown, offering an increasingly wide range of international routes for both business and leisure passengers.

Significantly, no-frills giants EasyJet and Ryanair held out for years from expanding beyond a few routes at the airport, claiming its charges were sky-high compared with terminals elsewhere.

But they have latterly struck major deals – attributed to flexible new management – which has led to massive expansion.

EasyJet still commands more passengers at Edinburgh, but that threatens to be overtaken soon by Ryanair's stratospheric climb from two to 39 routes at the airport in the past two years – with passenger numbers up six-fold to two million a year.