MSP Praises Airport Usage Increase
4th November 2013
Visiting Wick John O’Groats Airport recently, Highlands and Islands (Scottish Labour) MSP Rhoda Grant has praised the boost in airport usage by around 120 % due to the increased demand from the energy industry.
Chevron uses Wick John O' Groats Airport as its base to transport offshore workers to its rigs. Helicopters transporting oil industry workers offshore have seen the number of passengers at Wick John O' Groats Airport increase by almost 120%. Figures from HIAL showed that 4634 passengers used Wick John O' Groats airport in September, an increase of 119.1% compared to the same month 12 months ago.
The strong growth at Wick John O’Groats is the result of increased energy traffic and growing demand for scheduled passenger services.
Following a meeting with Airport Station Manager William Sutherland to discuss the increase in numbers and the future of the airport, Rhoda Grant MSP said:
“The continual increase in passenger numbers at Wick John O’Groats Airport is great news for Caithness and the North of Scotland.
“The Airport is going from strength to strength and helping develop both business and tourism across the county. Increased capacity between John O’Groats and Edinburgh will hopefully bring in more visitors to the far north.
“The announcement by ‘Lonely Plant’ that Scotland is one of the top three destinations to visit in 2014, coupled with events such as the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow, provides a great opportunity to encourage more people to take the journey north and visit Caithness whilst they are in Scotland.”
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