Strong December sees Edinburgh celebrate the busiest year ever for a Scottish airport

Almost 9.8 million people used Edinburgh Airport in 2013, an increase of 6.3% on the previous year with over half a million people more people travelling through Scotland’s capital.

This sees Edinburgh Airport rise to being the fifth busiest airport in the UK and the third biggest city in the UK in terms of airport passenger numbers, following London and Manchester.

December 2013 saw strong passenger growth with 645,447 passengers passing through the airport, an increase of 11% compared to December 2012.

Domestic passenger numbers saw the biggest rise last month with a total of 350,577, a rise of 6.9% from 2012. Numbers will have increased last month as people flew across the UK to visit friends and relatives for the festive season.

A total of 294,870 international passengers also travelled through Edinburgh Airport, a huge increase of 16.4% compared to the same time in 2012.

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 £25m 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.

“We’ve achieved amazing results in a relatively short space of time following our sale to GIP in June 2012 but we are now in a new year with new challenges ahead of us.

“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.”

Further information:

• From April until December 2013, Edinburgh Airport saw an increase in passenger numbers, with July and August both seeing more than one million people travel through.
• July and December saw the biggest percentage increase with 13.1% and 11.0% respectively.
• Last year saw more passengers from outside the EU fly into Edinburgh Airport than in 2012 with each month seeing a percentage rise in passenger figures.
• More EU passengers also travelled into Edinburgh Airport between April and December 2013 than the previous year.