REGIONAL airport operator Highlands and Islands Airport Ltd (HIAL) has welcomed a record number of passengers with a 13.3 per cent rise in people using its 11 airports in the last quarter.
Between April and June, the operator saw a total of 477,612 customers travelling through its airports across Scotland – an increase of 55,934 on the same quarter last year.
HIAL said its highlights over the period included a 17.6 per cent rise at Inverness Airport, an increase of 18 per cent in through Barra, and growth of 26.4 per cent at Islay, helped by an additional daily service to Glasgow that started in April.
Inverness had 246,965 passengers travel on its routes during the quarter, further illustrating the airport’s popularity and its increasingly important role as a driver for the Highland region and economy.
An additional 36,900 passengers used the airport, compared to the same period in 2016.
Increased numbers flew on the Heathrow, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton routes.
In May, Dutch operator KLM, doubled the frequency of its flights from Inverness to Amsterdam to two per day. The additional flight leaves early in the morning offering increased options for Highland travellers to connect via Schiphol to the rest of the world.
Sumburgh Airport welcomed 100,623 passengers during the period – 15 per cent more than in 2016, with further evidence of growth in the oil and gas sector and an increase in offshore traffic, while Kirkwall’s numbers grew to 53,797 as a direct result of a new weekly service to Bergen, Norway.
Strong tourist demand on flights from Glasgow to Barra, Benbecula, Stornoway and Tiree saw increases in passenger numbers at these airports, with particular growth in numbers travelling to the islands during the Easter holiday period in April.
Robust figures were recorded at nine of the organisation’s 11 airports across Scotland. Passenger numbers were down by almost 30 per cent at Dundee as a result of the withdrawal of the Flybe Amsterdam service by the operator in December.
Compared to last year, the airport had 2690 fewer passengers during the period.
Wick John O’Groats also recorded a fall in numbers – down a fifth on last year, partly because of reduced demand from energy sector services to and from Aberdeen. Inglis Lyon, HIAL’s managing director, said: “We are pleased to report that overall passenger numbers continue to rise. This clearly illustrates the value of our services to the communities we serve and proves there is strong demand for ever greater connectivity to and from the Highlands and Islands. Our regional airports continue to play a key role, enhancing and supporting Scotland’s economy and offering great choice for both business and leisure passengers, particularly during the holiday season.
“Our commitment is to continue to invest in our airports and further develop our customer service as we attract new business and look to build upon these levels of growth.”
Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI) Highlands and Islands director Fraser Grieve added: “The increase in passenger numbers shows the difference that having access to Heathrow and improved services to Amsterdam offers, and I hope we’ll continue to see rising numbers to support these key air routes.”
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