A long-awaited return to growth at Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) is back on track after a small rise in passenger numbers in May.
Bosses at the terminal have reported jumps of 4.2% and 1.45 for domestic and international travellers respectively, and an overall 1.6% year-on-year increase to 274,263.
A bigger total in March, compared with a year earlier, brought a 25-month run of decline in the monthly figures to an end.
But the April 2017 total was down by a few thousand from the same month last year.
Announcing the overall increase during May, AIA managing director Carol Benzie said the latest total was boosted by a string of new flights.
She added: “It is very encouraging to see both our international and domestic routes continue to perform well as we head into the peak summer season.
“It’s at this time of year that we expect to see an increase in demand for a number of the new routes we’ve introduced over the last year; particularly our new sun destinations.
“These new summer routes are already proving highly popular with local holiday-makers, with many flights departing at passenger capacity.”
Mrs Benzie said there had already been “excellent” feedback from passengers to the new international hall, unveiled just last month.
“The next few weeks will see the completion of the initial phase of our terminal transformation project, with the opening of our new Northern Lights Executive Lounge on July 1 and then our new domestic baggage reclaim shortly after that,” she added.
New routes for the airport this year include Ryanair’s flights to Faro, Malaga and Alicante, Flybe’s service to London Heathrow and Air Baltic’s summer take-offs to the Latvian capital of Riga.
While fixed wing business is showing an improvement, helicopter passenger numbers – down by 8.4% in May – continue to underline the impact of the oil and gas downturn locally.
VisitAberdeenshire business development director Jenni Fraser said the overall increase “can only be a good thing for the wider Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire region”.
