Edinburgh Airport flying high with record month

Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar

A total of 770,265 people passed through the Capital’s airport last month, making it the busiest February ever.

Glasgow Airport meanwhile saw a 14.1 per cent increase, which took the number to 582,879 passengers for the month.

It follows positive figures for the airports for January as both reported annual increases in passenger numbers compared to 2015.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive at Edinburgh Airport, said: “February’s passenger numbers have broken another monthly record and act as further indication of just how big Edinburgh Airport’s global ambitions are.

“We have seen a massive increase of 30.4 per cent in the number of international passengers and this highlights the growing draw of Edinburgh as a prime global destination.”

At Glasgow, international traffic grew by 13.2 per cent, which bosses said was due to strong demand on European routes to Berlin, Reykjavik and Milan.

Domestic services increased by 14.8 per cent, with Flybe’s routes to Exeter and Cardiff proving popular, while British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair also reported strong demand for their London flights.

Glasgow Airport managing director Amanda McMillan said: “This year we are celebrate our golden anniversary year. We are continuing to see our passenger numbers grow at record rates”

Last month, Edinburgh Airport hailed its controversial trial of a new flightpath a “success” – despite receiving thousands of complaints from residents living beneath the route. Last year’s exercise saw some flights directed over Broxburn, Uphall, Dechmont and Blackness.

The majority of complaints received during the trial period came from a relatively small number of people who live in West Lothian.

Airport bosses said one-minute separation times of departing flights could relieve aircraft congestion and make the runway more efficient. But they admitted they experienced a peak in complaints during the trial period, with 7934 objections from 567 people.

They said analysis showed that over 57 per cent of these complaints were not about trial flights but existing flightpaths.

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