Edinburgh Airport’s passenger numbers are on the up and up. The airport has just released its figures for 2013 which show that almost 9.8 million people used Edinburgh Airport last year, an increase of 6.3% on the previous year with over half a million people more people travelling through Scotland’s capital.
Edinburgh Airport is now the fifth busiest airport in the UK and the third biggest city in the UK in terms of airport passenger numbers, following London and Manchester.
There was strong passenger growth with 645,447 passengers passing through the airport in December 2013, an increase of 11% compared to December 2012.
The biggest rise was in domestic passenger numbers with a total of 350,577 last month, a rise of 6.9% from 2012. Numbers are believed to have increased last month as people flew across the UK to visit friends and relatives for the festive season.
A total of 294,870 international passengers also travelled through Edinburgh Airport, a huge increase of 16.4% compared to the same time in 2012.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Airport, said: “2013 was a landmark year for Edinburgh Airport. It was a year in which we fulfilled our promises on new route development, securing three long haul hub connections and bolstering our domestic and European services. We also commenced work on a £25m expansion and improvement project.
“The airport also won ACI Europe Best European Airport for the third year in a row.
“This commitment to giving our passengers choice, backed with great service, is at the core of why half a million more passengers used us in 2013.
“The passenger figures speak for themselves. Two consecutive million months in the summer, in addition to six months of continued passenger increases, means last year was the busiest year ever for any Scottish airport – a fantastic achievement.
“We’ve achieved amazing results in a relatively short space of time following our sale to GIP in June 2012 but we are now in a new year with new challenges ahead of us.
“We have a huge year ahead of us, with the Year of Homecoming, Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup taking place in Scotland, coupled with new route launches and more record breaking months. It’s a very exciting time and we will continue to put the passenger first, ensuring that the experience at Edinburgh Airport is the very best.”
Economy Convener Councillor Frank Ross said:- “This is very encouraging news for Edinburgh’s economy and demonstrates that the investment in new flight routes is bringing in more passengers and therefore more new investment than ever before. A major benefit of this increased activity is it translates into new and better quality jobs for our citizens and for the people who live in the wider city region.
“In June 2013 luxury hotel occupancy was the second highest in Europe, only behind Paris. On an all-hotel basis, Edinburgh was rated third highest in Europe. However we cannot rest on our laurels, particularly as this new demand will require new infrastructure, transport, hotel and office capacity.
“The commencement of tram running will also play a major role in catering for this new demand from May.”
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