The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Northern airports feel the pinch as numbers fall
Travel: Inverness sees biggest gain
New passenger figures show mixed fortunes for the two busiest airports in the north and north-east.
While, Inverness Airport saw a 7% jump in total traveller numbers in July, to 98,272, Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) suffered a 2% drop, to 291,385.
Sumburgh Airport in Shetland – heavily reliant on offshore workers – saw a 23% drop, to 20,840.
For Aberdeen, it marks the second month in a row of year-on-year decline after a 4% drop in June.
The Granite City gateway has been hit by a string of axed routes this year, with the loss of German flag carrier Lufthansa and its services to Frankfurt a particularly hefty blow.
Icelandair axed flights between the Granite City and Keflavik, Iceland’s international air hub, for “commercial reasons”, while Loganair called time on its Aberdeen to DurhamTees Valley Airport service.
Budget airline Ryanair ditched its service from Aberdeen to Malaga in Spain, also citing “commercial reasons”.
Just last month, VLM Airlines cancelled its fledgeling service between Aberdeen and Antwerp, which started up in June, saying the route was not viable. VLM has since gone into liquidation.
AIA route development manager Lynn Harwood said: “We’re still feeling the effects of losing some international destinations. However, we are seeing positive underlying growth in our domestic routes.
“There has been a lift in our helicopter passengers on last year’s numbers, and last month we recorded the largest increase since August 2016, which indicates confidence is returning to the market.”
The Civil Aviation Authority figures also show a 1% drop at Kirkwall, to 17,781, while Wick John o’ Groats fell by 6% to 1,475. Barra and Tiree saw falls of 2% to 1,570 and 5% to 1,653 respectively. Benbecula and Islay were both up by 2% at 3,435 and 3,302 respectively, with Stornoway seeing a 6% jump to 12,566.