BOSSES at Scotland’s three biggest airports say they are ending the year on high thanks to record passenger figures.

International passengers increased by almost a fifth at Edinburgh Airport, leading to its busiest ever November. A total of 936,193 passengers used the airport up 8.7 per cent on the same month last year. International passengers made up more than half of that figure – numbering 509,610, an increase of 18.1 per cent on November 2016, while domestic figures held steady.

Chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “This is yet another record month and the fact the growth is being mainly driven by international traffic is testament to the fantastic global links that we have. By offering greater choice to our passengers, we are making it easier to welcome Scotland to the world and to allow people to go and experience destinations across the globe.”

Glasgow Airport also recorded record November figures with more than 682,800 passengers travelling through its doors, a 2.5 per cent increase on the same month last year. EU scheduled services saw a 10.5 per cent rise driven by strong demand on new Ryanair routes to Madrid, Lisbon, Valencia, Krakow, Frankfurt and Lufthansa’s Munich service. International traffic grew by 6.2 per cent and passenger figures for Emirates’ twice daily service to Dubai were up 12 per cent.

Glasgow’s managing director, Amanda McMillan, said: “This has been a fantastic year in terms of passenger growth. Our efforts in securing 30 new routes and services have been instrumental in making 2017 the most successful year in the airport’s history.

Almost 250,000 people travelled through Aberdeen International Airport during November, a 4.9 per cent increase on 12 months earlier.

Domestic and international traffic were up 7.2 per cent and 12 per cent respectively due to strong demand for new services. Helicopter traffic was down 16.9 per cent, largely due to poor weather which grounded a number of services.

Managing director Carol Benzie said: “We have reported an increase in both domestic and international traffic for seven consecutive months which is extremely encouraging.

“In addition to the new Ryanair services, our international traffic was boosted by Air France’s decision to reintroduce a third daily service to Paris. While we continue to operate in a challenging market – as highlighted by the drop in helicopter traffic – the reinstatement of that third daily service is a clear sign of confidence starting to return.”