Energy Sector Boosts Passenger Numbers At HIAL Airports
19th December 2012
Passenger numbers at Scotland’s regional airports jumped by more than 10% last month, with the booming energy sector responsible for much of the growth.
Latest figures from airport operator HIAL show that its 11 airports handled 101,701 passengers in November, an increase of 10.5% on the same month last year.
Sumburgh recorded a 50.6% increase in passenger numbers, the result of a significant increase in offshore oil sector charters and refueling activity, and increased demand across all scheduled services.
Wick John O’Groats reported an increase of 28.7%, also as a result of oil sector charters, and an increase in the number of scheduled passengers travelling on the Edinburgh route.
At Kirkwall, additional flights in the winter schedule to mainland and island destinations resulted in a 16.1% increase in passenger numbers.
At Inverness, passenger numbers grew by 0.9%, with services to Amsterdam, Manchester and Birmingham enjoying the strongest growth, albeit demand was offset by cuts in the winter schedule to Luton and Gatwick.
Dundee enjoyed growth on the London City route and additional charter and business aviation traffic, resulting in a 4.9% increase in passengers. However, the withdrawal of services to Belfast and Birmingham this month is likely to dampen passenger growth in the coming months.
Additional demand for Glasgow services resulted in growth at Campbeltown, Islay and Tiree, where passenger numbers grew by 33.7%, 9.4% and 6.1% respectively. Meanwhile, Barra recorded a 22.2% increase in traffic.
At Stornoway and Benbecula, passenger numbers fell by 5.3% and 4.1% respectively.
The number of aircraft movements during the month increased by 19.7%.
In the year to date (April to November), passenger numbers across the group increased by 2.3%.
Inglis Lyon, Managing Director of HIAL, said: “These are especially strong growth figures, particularly given the time of year and prevailing economic climate. The continued growth in oil related traffic is particularly good news for our airports in the North and Northern Isles.
“With increased offshore oil activity in the area planned, we are confident this growth will continue in the coming years and that we can gain a greater share of this lucrative market, due to our ability to respond quickly and flexibly to the needs of the energy sector.”
