Airports see increase in passengers

Sep 11 2012

Scotland's airports saw a rise in passenger numbers in August, bucking the overall UK trend.

Aberdeen Airport welcomed almost 302,000 travellers - a 9.2% increase on the same month last year - and the Glasgow Airport figure rose 3.1% to around 704,000.

The majority of passengers headed to popular sunspots including the Canary Islands, Florida and Dubai.

Carriers to European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris also reported an increase in demand, Glasgow Airport said.

Managing director Amanda McMillan said: "Our numbers were also boosted by a series of major conferences and events such as the World Pipe Band Championships which succeeded in attracting tens of thousands of visitors and competitors to Glasgow."

Edinburgh Airport, Scotland's busiest hub, continued to suffer from uncertainty surrounding the takeover of bmi - which has affected domestic routes.

Almost 937,000 passengers travelled through Edinburgh in August, a drop of 1.9%.

Chief executive Gordon Dewar said: "August has continued to see the same issues that affected passenger flows throughout the summer.

"It's a small percentage but with the interest in the slots for Heathrow from airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus, I'm confident the uncertainty will be resolved."

The UK witnessed an average 2% dip in passenger numbers which airport bosses attributed to the "Olympics effect."