Airport passenger numbers soar by 11% in September

Edinburgh Airport had over 1.2 million passengers. Picture; Phil Wilkinson

This represents an 11 per cent increase on September 2015, airport bosses said, with the greatest growth area being passengers on international flights, which had a 21.5 per cent hike compared to the same month last year.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport’s chief executive, cited the strength of the Capital as a destination and the commitment of the airport to improve Scotland’s connectivity by attracting new airlines and routes as key reasons for this success.

“These latest set of passenger figures are very welcome indeed and are testament to both the tremendous international draw of Edinburgh and Scotland as a destination and of the hard work we are doing here to attract new airlines and routes,” he said.

“We have strong indications that Edinburgh Airport – unlike the majority of the UK airport market – has a healthy balance of inbound and outbound passengers.

“This gives us confidence that we can continue to perform well and help deliver connectivity which creates jobs and delivers growth for Scotland – in spite of any wider economic uncertainty in the sector and economy at large.”

He added: “There is however absolutely no room for complacency within the aviation business – which is why we are calling on the Scottish Government to give details on their proposed cut to Air Passenger Duty.”