12.4 MILLION PASSENGERS MAKE 2016 A RECORD YEAR FOR EDINBURGH AIRPORT

This increase of over 11 per cent from the 11.13 million passengers who used the airport 2015 reinforces Edinburgh Airport as the fastest growing airport in the UK and has been hailed as “a tremendous success story for Scotland”, by Chief Executive Gordon Dewar.

December 2016 saw 863,147 passengers pass through the airport with a massive hike in the number of international passengers compared to the same month last year.

International growth has been a constant trend throughout 2016 with over 7,156,826 passengers on international flights throughout the year which represents a 21.1 % climb compared to the number of international passengers in 2015.

Welcoming the news, Chief Executive Gordon Dewar said:

“This is a great achievement for the airport, the skilled and dedicated team that work here, our partner airlines and businesses and it is also a tremendous success story for Edinburgh and for the whole of Scotland.

“We have continued to enhance passenger choice by offering more routes and more destinations– and people have responded by choosing to fly in and out of Edinburgh Airport in greater numbers than ever before.

“To have smashed this record - exceeding last year’s growth rate and having helped over 12.4 million passengers through the airport - highlights the draw of Edinburgh as a destination and the growing global appeal that Scotland holds.

“A swift and substantial cut to Air Passenger Duty will help greater numbers of the 7 billion people across the globe to visit and sample all that Scotland has to offer – and we recognise our responsibility to welcome visitors and our role as conduit for further economic growth for the country.

“In 2017 we will continue to improve the services we offer. Further investment in the terminal will enhance the passenger experience and we are in the process of negotiating new exciting routes and destinations which we hope to be able to announce in the coming weeks and months ahead.”

ENDS