Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) bosses have cause for celebration after the terminal’s latest passenger figures delivered a second consecutive month of year-on-year growth.
A total of 90,296 people passed through the north-east gateway last month, which represents a 1.66% increase from June 2016.
While modest, the increase and a 1.6% rise in May suggest a punishing streak of long-term decline could finally be at an end.
The airport has now recorded a rise in three of the past four months, with April’s figures the exception.
A small increase in March, compared with a year earlier, brought a depressing 25-month run of declining figures to a halt.
Although North Sea helicopter business continued to suffer from the oil and gas downturn last month, fixed-wing passenger numbers were up by 4.6%.
Domestic and international traveller numbers grew by 3.9% and 5.45% respectively, which AIA said highlighted the success of new services.
Managing director Carol Benzie added: “In particular, the new leisure routes that we have introduced this year are continuing to prove highly popular with our passengers and demonstrate the increased demand for direct leisure routes from Aberdeen.
“The launch of our new arrivals facilities and Northern Lights executive lounge allows us to get underway with the second phase of our transformation project, which will bring a new improved world duty free area and a fit-for-purpose central search security area.”
The airport will see its new extension completed and open to passengers on Friday, which also marks the launch of a new domestic arrivals baggage reclaim area.
The new baggage reclaim is the third element of the extension to open to passengers following on from the international arrivals facilities, which opened in May, and the new Northern Lights Executive Lounge, which opened 1 July. The transformation project will, at completion, serve to accommodate the increasing numbers of fixed-wing passengers travelling through the airport.
AIA is owned by Spanish group Ferrovial and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets – part of Australia’s Macquarie Group – under a joint-venture, AGS Airports.