A surge in international traffic helped boost passenger numbers at Scotland’s…
A surge in international traffic helped boost passenger numbers at Scotland’s three busiest airports last month.
Figures released by airport operator BAA Scotland show that 1,466,056 passengers used Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports in November, a rise of 3.2% on the previous year.
In the 12 months to November, passenger numbers at the three airports rose by 4.9% to more than 20 million. The increase was largely driven by the growth in international travel which has risen by 6.5% over the past year.
The increase in international travel was again evident last month as all three airports enjoyed their busiest ever November.
The number of domestic passengers grew by 0.4% while international passenger numbers increased by 10%, reflecting the growing popularity of Scotland’s direct international links.
Glasgow Airport recorded 593,965 passengers in November, a rise of 1.3% on the previous year.
International traffic grew by almost 7%, with passenger numbers boosted by the thousands of fans travelling on specially chartered flights to Portugal and Bratislava for Rangers’ Championships League ties against Porto and Artmedia Bratislava.
Dublin, Faro, Palma and Reykjavik were among the fastest growing European destinations, while long haul flights to Dubai and New York also saw strong growth. Southampton, Stansted and Gatwick were among the best performing domestic routes.
In the 12 months to November, Glasgow Airport handled 8.8 million passengers, a rise of 2.9%.
Edinburgh Airport was the busiest airport in Scotland in November with 634,741 passengers, a rise of 3% on the previous year.
International services grew by more than 12%, with Prague, Barcelona and Copenhagen the fastest growing European destinations. Long haul flights to New York also saw a big leap in passenger numbers. On the domestic front, Norwich, Birmingham, and Manchester were the best performing routes.
In the 12 months to November, Edinburgh Airport recorded 8.4 million passengers, up 5.9% on the same point last year.
Aberdeen Airport was again the fastest growing of the three airports, with passenger numbers rising by 9.1% to 237,350.
The number of international passengers grew by 18.1% on last year. Stavanger, Paris, Bergen, Copenhagen and Groningen were amongst the best performing international services. On the domestic front, Southampton, Liverpool/Cardiff, Bristol and Humberside recorded the strongest growth.
In the 12 months to November, Aberdeen Airport handled over 2.8 million passengers, a rise of 8.3% on the previous year.
Stephen Baxter, managing director designate of BAA Scotland, said: “All three airports continue to report strong growth in international traffic, with our long haul routes performing particularly well. In the past year, new services have been added to Islamabad, Lahore and New York, with Atlanta, Georgia set to follow in 2006. What this illustrates, very clearly, is that there is strong demand for direct international flights from Scotland and that airlines see great potential in Scotland. Our three airports are well placed to ensure Scotland achieves its full potential.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
