Edinburgh Airport Reports Record Number of International Passengers

700,142 people passed through Edinburgh Airport in January 2016.

The record number of passengers represents double digit growth on January 2015 with 357,602 domestic travellers passing through the airport, up 3.1% from 346,767.

The airport enjoyed an exceptionally strong showing in the number of international passengers, where a 21.7% annual hike was recorded with the number of travellers rising from 281,518 to 342,540.

In terms of international passengers this is the greatest monthly increase since January 2008 when the number of international passengers increased from January 2007 by 26.3%.

Overall, travellers passing through Edinburgh Airport in January 2016 totaled 700,142, up 11.4% over the 628,285 recorded in January 2015.

“January’s passenger numbers are very welcome indeed and the massive increase in the number of international passengers highlights the growing draw of Edinburgh as a prime global destination,” said Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Executive. “We are continuing to offer greater choice with more routes and more destinations– and passengers are responding by flying in and out of Edinburgh directly in greater numbers than ever before. People ask me how much more Edinburgh Airport can grow in a country with little over five million people; it is not the five million I am worried about - but how the other seven billion across the globe get to visit us.”

Edinburgh Airport’s importance as not only a destination for international travellers, but also as a gateway to visit other parts of Scotland as well as the UK has been boosted by an increase of flights from around the world.

 Qatar Airways launched Doha - Edinburgh flights in May 2014, and increased its initial schedule to daily in May 2015. The airline has even bought a hotel in the city, the Novotel Edinburgh Park Hotel, Scotland.

“The start of services from Edinburgh to Doha not only offers travellers from the Scottish capital access to the Middle East in under seven hours, but also a quicker total journey time to other popular destinations in Asia, India and Australasia,” said Qatar Airways CEO, Mr. Akbar Al Baker.

Another very important and rapidly growing middle eastern airline, Etihad Airways, launched daily flights to Edinburgh in 2015.

“We have been impressed by the welcome we have received from Edinburgh Airport and from the Scottish tourism industry. Many local stakeholders have played a part in attracting us to the city and welcoming us here, and we’re confident this service will be a great success,” said Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer for Etihad Airways.

In November 2015, Ryanair launched flights to/from Copenhagen, while services to Santander and Hahn, which only operated as summer routes last year, are now year-round services. Ryanair’s flights to Dublin also enjoyed higher seat factors than in 2015.

easyJet launched flights to/from Funchal (Madeira) in February 2015, and commenced Stuttgart flights in November. The airline also operated more flights to Amsterdam and Paris CDG.

Other new routes launched since last year which also boosted passenger numbers include Iberia Express to Madrid and Norwegian to Malaga and Tenerife.

See other recent news regarding: Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh, Passengers, Traffic, Scotland