Glasgow Airport got its year off to a flying start with a record number of passengers passing through its doors.
Almost 600,000 passengers travelled through Glasgow in January, marking an annual increase of 8.4%.
EU-scheduled traffic was up 21.4% thanks to an increase in capacity on Ryanair and Jet2 winter sun flights to the Canary Islands and city breaks to Paris (France), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Dusseldorf (Germany). International traffic rose by 16.1% after high demand on routes to Toronto (Canada), New York (USA) and Dubai (UAE).
Domestic traffic grew by 2%, credited to increased uptake on routes provided by British Airways, EasyJet and Flybe.
Amanda McMillan, managing director, Glasgow Airport, said, “Last year was our busiest on record, so it’s pleasing to see this momentum has continued into 2017 with our best-ever January passenger numbers.
“Our focus for 2017 will remain on strengthening Scotland’s connectivity. However, this year will not be without its challenges. High levels of Air Passenger Duty put our airports at a severe disadvantage when it comes to attracting new routes and services.
“The Scottish Government’s proposed 50% reductions present a real opportunity to address this and ensure Scotland’s airports remain competitive in the global market.”
Glasgow will introduce several new routes this year, with the launch of flights to Lisbon, Portugal, and Valencia, Spain, from March and a direct Delta Air Lines service to New York’s JFK airport in May. More routes to Bergen in Norway and the Croatian city of Zadar will also begin this summer.
Written by Kirstie Pickering