Busiest start to the year for Glasgow Airport

GLASGOW Airport has had its busiest ever start to a year, with almost 600,000 passengers i n January.

A total of 597,594 passengers used the airport, up 8.4% from the first month of 2016.

International traffic was a key factor with 16.1% growth put down to strong demand on routes to Toronto, New York and Dubai.

European traffic was up by 21.4%, while domestic passenger levels increased by 2%.

Around 9.4 million people used the airport last year.

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “Last year was our busiest on record, so it’s pleasing to see this mo- mentum has continued into 2017 with our best ever January passenger numbers.

“January is traditionally a quieter period but we have experienced a marked increase in demand for international travel, particularly to some of the European city and winter sun destinations.

“Our focus for 2017 will remain on strengthening Scotland’s connectivity, however, this year will not be without its challenges and we can’t take our continued growth for granted.

“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 pro- posed 50% reduction presents a real opportunity to address this and ensure Scotland’s airports remain competitive in the global market.”

The airport will operate new routes to Lisbon and Valencia, Bergen in Norway and the Croatian city of Zadar from this summer and a new direct service to New York’s JFK airport from May.