INVERNESS Airport has beaten its bigger brothers in Edinburgh and Glasgow to become Airport of the Year at the Scottish Transport Awards.

Run by regional operator Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), Inverness has illustrated its increasingly important role in the Highland economy with rising passenger numbers and a programme of improvements to its terminal and other facilities.

More than £900,000 has been earmarked for improvements to the arrivals and departure areas, retail outlets and catering.

Inglis Lyon, HIAL’s managing director, told The National he was delighted with the team effort at Inverness.

“This is just the start and what they really need to do now is to embrace the concept of really taking to heart the customer, and delivering what is best for them.

“There’s a lot in the awards about ‘we’ve invested this, invested that, we’ve spent this much money’.

“But it’s about making that link between investment and improving the customer experience at these small regional airports.

“It’s about giving these people coming into the region from the four corners of the globe a really fantastic Highland welcome. It’s when you see them going through security and up the steps of the plane and they’re looking back and saying, ‘I really want to come back because I love the airport and I love the region,’ – that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Lyon added that the success of Inverness was all about generating critical mass, saying: “We had 830,000 passengers in the year just finished, this year more business has gone in so it should be up around 900,000.

“If you get to 900,000 passengers you’re almost at a million and if you get to a million it doesn’t take very much to push it over the million – and it’s about generating that critical mass, not only of passengers but of interest from the airlines.

“The airlines now look at Inverness and say ‘you’ve got an early morning flight that goes to Schiphol, another one at midday, you’ve got a British Airways flight and umpteen flights from EasyJet between Inverness and London, you’re a mini-hub for some of the island services’.

“We’ve got all these things going on and we have planning permission for a rail station that’s going to be built almost next door to the airport. This is a good news story. Some of these things take years and years to deliver, but this is a growth area, a wonderful part of the world and the country.

“You’re not even having to try that hard to sell a product. You’re selling whisky, golf, bird-watching and outdoor pursuits; you’re selling all of these things and the airport and the business park that surrounds it is right at the centre of it because this is the route to many of these activities.”

Airport general manager Graeme Bell, said: “This award is a real vote of confidence for Inverness Airport and we are delighted to have been named Scottish Airport of the Year.

“With new routes and record passenger numbers, Inverness Airport continues to go from strength to strength.

“The airport is a key player in the economic growth of the region and local economy, with increased connectivity providing Highland customers and businesses with better transport links. We stand in good stead for an even busier year in 2017.

“A big thank you must go to our loyal customers and hardworking team as without them, we would not have received this award.”