GLASGOW Airport experienced its 20th consecutive month of growth in September, as all three of Scotland's largest airports reported a rise in passenger numbers in the month.
Altogether, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports welcomed more than 2.1 million fliers last month, propelled by factors such as the Ryder Cup and an increase in international travel.
Additionally, with several new routes planned, future figures could reach even higher.
Glasgow Airport saw its numbers grow by 2.4 per cent from the same period in 2013 to reach 783,000, while the monthly total for Edinburgh Airport was 987,674, up by 2.9 per cent.
Aberdeen Airport welcomed 343,951 passengers in September, a year-on-year increase of 6.8 per cent.
Glasgow Airport mainly attributed its growth to increased international traffic, which grew by 5.5 per cent.
Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, looked at the positive impact of the Ryder Cup, describing it as "hugely successful in attracting visitors from across the globe to Scotland".
She said the event directly led to a lift in the airport's passenger numbers, and added: "It was no surprise that our US carriers, as well as Icelandair and KLM, all experienced an increase in demand, particularly for business- class seats."
The airport also said it had its busiest summer in six years, while Edinburgh Airport announced that it welcomed 4,151,479 passengers between the start of June and end of September.
It said this comes after two consecutive 'million months' in July and August, and cited the "unprecedented" progress in long-haul services to the USA, Canada and the Middle East as being behind this growth.
Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: "It's also been a tremendous summer for Scotland and we should credit the amazing events of the past few months for helping us achieve such high passenger figures."
He flagged new routes that were not in place in September 2013, such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Doha. Additionally he looked at the impact of the Ryder Cup, saying September 29, the day after the event finished, was one of the airport's busiest-ever departure days, with all transatlantic flights and connections from Edinburgh full.
Aberdeen Airport said its year-on-year growth in passengers came even though September 2013 was boosted by the Offshore Europe conference.
"To record 6.8 per cent growth in a month without Offshore Europe in the numbers is unprecedented," said airport managing director Carol Benzie.
The airport noted that last month its fixed-wing passengers grew by 3.7 per cent, with helicopter numbers up by 30 per cent.
However, the airport said the latter growth can be attributed to the knock-on effect in September 2013 of a lot of the fleet being grounded after the Sumburgh crash the previous month.
Looking ahead, Aberdeen Airport noted new additions such as London City flights with Flybe, and Aberdeen Airport managing director Carol Benzie said that the start of October looks to have been a record weekend, based on anecdotal evidence before exact numbers are calculated.
There is "a lot to look forward to," she said.
Glasgow Airport also highlighted new developments, including Jet2.com's expansion plans such as a Prague route, and Ryanair starting to fly from the airport at the end of this month, when it launches its new base.
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