BAA Scotland’s airports handled a record number of passengers last month as almost two million people flew to and from Glasgow…
BAA Scotland’s airports handled a record number of passengers last month as almost two million people flew to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports.
Figures released by airport operator BAA Scotland show that 1,966,074 passengers used the three airports in August, a rise of 4.3% on the same month last year. International services enjoyed the strongest growth, up 6.6% on last year.
The robust performance was achieved despite the impact of last month’s industrial action which led to a temporary suspension of all BA flights between Scotland and Heathrow. All three BAA Scotland airports experienced a resulting drop in Heathrow traffic.
Despite this, Glasgow Airport enjoyed its busiest August ever, handling 883,745 passengers, a rise of 1.5% on the same month last year.
On the domestic front, Southampton, Belfast and Stansted were amongst the fastest growing destinations. Prague was the best performing international destination, with Barcelona and Dublin also performing well.
In the 12 months to August, Glasgow handled over 8.7 million passengers, up 4.5% on the previous year.
This year’s Edinburgh Festival, the most successful ever, boosted the capital’s growth with passenger numbers at Edinburgh reaching record levels for the time of year. Edinburgh handled 823,793 passengers in August, a rise of 6.6%.
Manchester, London City and Birmingham were amongst the best performing domestic routes. European city breaks were popular, with Nice, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Prague amongst the fastest growing international routes.
In the year to August, Edinburgh Airport handled 8.3 million passengers, a rise of 6.2% on the same point last year.
Aberdeen was again the fastest growing of BAA Scotland’s airports. A record 258,536 passengers used Aberdeen Airport last month, up 6.9% on the previous year.
International traffic performed strongly, with services to Esbjerg and Groningen among the fastest growing. Southampton, Newcastle and Humberside were the best performing domestic routes in terms of growth.
In the year to August, Aberdeen Airport handled almost 2.8 million passengers, up 7.7% on the previous year.
In the 12 months to August, BAA Scotland’s airports collectively handled over 19.8 million passengers, up 5.6% on the previous year.
Across the three airports, the international charter market saw a drop in passenger numbers, reflecting a UK wide trend in the industry.
Douglas Dewar, BAA Scotland’s finance director, said: Despite the disruption caused by last month’s industrial action, and the continued drop in the charter market, BAA Scotland’s three airports enjoyed a record month in August. All three airports recorded strong international growth, reflecting their status as Scotland’s principal gateway airports. This summer has been our most successful ever.
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