Figures released by airport operator BAA Scotland show that 2,177,200 passengers used Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports in July…
Figures released by airport operator BAA Scotland show that 2,177,200 passengers used Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports in July , a rise of 5.8% on the same month last year.
In the 12 months to July, BAA Scotland’s airports handled over 19.7 million passengers, up 5.8% on the previous year.
Traditionally the busiest month of the year, last month was exceptionally busy across all three airports as the country played host to a series of major showcase events including the Live8 concert at Murrayfield, the special Olympics in Glasgow, the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and the British Open in St Andrews.
Glasgow Airport was Scotland’s busiest airport, with 1,055,900 passengers, the highest monthly figure ever recorded by a Scottish airport. The start of the Glasgow Fair also saw the airport record the busiest day in its 39 year history, with 41,616 passengers on ‘Fair Friday.’
International traffic rose substantially in July, up 9.1%, with Prague the fastest growing destination. Barcelona, Dublin and Dubai also performed well, while traditional sun spots like Tenerife and Las Palmas continued to prove popular with holidaymakers. On the domestic front, Southampton, Belfast International and Stansted were the best performing routes.
In the year to July, Glasgow Airport handled over 8.7 million passengers, up 4.8% on last year.
Edinburgh Airport recorded its busiest month ever in July, with 845,200 passengers, an increase of 6.2% on the previous year. Again, there was significant growth in international traffic, which rose 8.2%, fuelled in part by the Live8/G8 events taking place across the city.
As a holiday month, July also saw thousands of holiday makers fly out to traditional sun spots such as Alicante, Tenerife and Palma. European city breaks were also popular, with Barcelona, Nice and Copenhagen enjoying strong growth, while Edinburgh’s direct service to New York also recorded a significant rise in demand. Among domestic services, flights to London City, Birmingham and Manchester enjoyed the strongest growth.
In the 12 months to July, Edinburgh Airport handled over 8.2 million passengers, a rise of 6.3% on the previous year.
The growth in international traffic was also mirrored at Aberdeen where overall passenger numbers rose by 8.1% to 276,000, again the highest monthly figure ever recorded by the airport. Aberdeen also recorded its busiest day in over a decade with 11,574 passengers on 8 July.
International traffic grew by 12.5%. Again, holiday destinations such as Tenerife, Malaga and Las Palmas enjoyed strong growth, as did flights to Groningen, Bergen, Esbjerg and Amsterdam. Domestic flights to Southampton, Newcastle and London Heathrow also saw increased demand.
Aberdeen remains the fastest growing of BAA Scotland’s three airports. In the 12 months to July, the airport handled over 2.7 million passengers, a rise of 7.7% on the previous year.
Donal Dowds, managing director of BAA Scotland, said: “It is clear from last month’s record performance that the demand for direct international travel from Scotland has never been greater. It is the same picture at all three airports. Scotland is better connected to the rest of the world that it has ever been and, as a consequence, more people than ever before are choosing to fly from their local airports. This hasn’t happened by accident. With the backing of BAA Scotland’s £95 million Route Development Fund, all three airports have responded to the call for more direct flights and worked with our airline partners to make the possibility of greater international travel a reality.”
BAA Scotland introduced a £60 million Route Development Fund in 2002 in a bid to attract new international services to Scotland. In 2004 the fund was increased to £95 million.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
