Glasgow Airport reports busiest summer on record

AUGUST PERFORMANCE HELPS GLASGOW SCORCH PREVIOUS  

SUMMER PASSENGER RECORD 

• 7.4% increase in August passenger numbers
• Three million passengers during peak summer months

Glasgow Airport has recorded its busiest summer on record after more than 943,000 passengers travelled through its doors in August representing a 7.4% increase on the same period last year.

It means that almost three million passengers used Glasgow Airport during the peak summer months of June, July and August ensuring the airport remains on course to record its busiest year since it first opened its doors 50 years ago.

Domestic traffic grew by 8.3% during August with Flybe, easyJet and Ryanair all reporting an increase in demand for their UK services.

International traffic grew by 6.3% and benefited from the extra capacity added by Canadian carriers WestJet, Air Canada Rouge and Air Transat. EU scheduled services increased by 13.5% with Wizz Air, Blue Air and Air France, which joined the airport earlier this year, all showing strong demand during the month.

Amanda McMillan, chief executive of AGS Airports and managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “August was an extremely busy month for the airport. We welcomed Scotland’s first direct service with Seoul which saw more than 1,000 South Korean tourists use Glasgow as a gateway to Scotland and events such as the World Pipe Band Championships also brought thousands of visitors to the city.

“Alongside our efforts in securing new routes for Scotland we have made significant progress with our £27 million investment programme. Construction of our dedicated car rental facility is underway and we will open a number of new food outlets in the coming weeks including celebrity chef James Martin’s new café.

“The launch of Ryanair’s Sofia service has helped us make a strong start to September. The airline has also confirmed it will further strengthen our European connectivity with the introduction in 2017 of flights to Lisbon, Valencia, Palanga in Lithuania and to the Croatian city of Zadar. The Davis Cup at the Emirates Arena and Celtic’s participation in the Champions League will also contribute to what we expect to be yet another month of growth for the airport.”