Edinburgh Airport is celebrating the busiest year ever for a Scottish airport, with almost 9.8 million people using the airport in 2013, a 6.3 percent increase on the previous year.
Last year also saw Edinburgh Airport become the fifth busiest in the UK and Edinburgh become the third biggest city in the UK in terms of airport passenger numbers, after London and Manchester, the airport said.
December 2013 turned out to be one of the busiest months ever, with 645,447 passengers passing through the airport, an increase of 11 percent compared to December 2012.
A total of 294,870 international passengers travelled through the airport, an increase of 16.4 percent compared to the same time in 2012. Meanwhile, domestic passenger numbers increased by 6.9 percent to 350,577.
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 GBP25m 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.’
Dewar added: ‘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.’
