PASSENGER numbers at Glasgow Airport surged by nearly 10% last month as airlines added routes while Edinburgh continued to struggle with cuts made by Ryanair, new figures show.
New flights to Ibiza, Crete and Rhodes launched by Jet2 and a surge in people travelling to European cities helped Glasgow achieve a 9.8% growth in May, with 658,000 passengers passing through its terminal, according to owner BAA.
Edinburgh, which was sold by BAA to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) at the beginning of the month, saw a 2.2% increase with 844,000 passengers last month. Aberdeen, which is also owned by BAA, continued to outperform other UK airports, seeing 297,000 passengers in May – 15.7% more than a year earlier.
Although the comparative figures were boosted because of the disruption caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in May 2011, Glasgow still saw a 6% rise in passenger numbers last month once these effects were stripped out.
Edinburgh Airport did not provide a breakdown of how its performance was affected by the volcanic ash disruption. However, a spokesman said the effect of Ryanair's recent decision to reverse growth at the airport was minimal.
He said: "We're pleased to see passenger traffic improve on last year's May performance. It shows the continued strength of Edinburgh as a destination and that the recent cuts by Ryanair are having a minimal impact."
Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: "May was another strong month. The continued increase in passenger numbers underlines the progress we are making."
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