Edinburgh Airport has busiest April on record
A total of 1,258,516 passengers passed through Edinburgh Airport in April 2019 but the figures received a cautious welcome as a slowdown in growth is expected. The figures are 4.3% ahead of the same month last year and is the busiest April on record.
However, Chief Executive Gordon Dewar said the Scottish Government’s decision to abandon Air Departure Tax will make record figures harder to come by:
“We’re always happy to see more passengers coming to and travelling out of Edinburgh as it demonstrates the desire people have to broaden their horizons by visiting countries all over the world.
“Tourism is a sector that is key to Scotland. From hoteliers and restaurants to tour companies and visitor attractions, it’s an industry which employs thousands of people and drives economic growth. But we are in danger of seeing that growth and prosperity fall.
“Winning routes is hard but keeping them is even harder. And when you continue to implement the highest aviation tax in the world, you make it even more difficult. Unfortunately, when we should be looking to build on the tourism sector, we are making Scotland less attractive by forcing this tax on people and discouraging airlines from operating in Scotland.”
EasyJet - the largest airline at Edinburgh and Scotland’s largest airline - last week celebrated flying 50 million passengers from Edinburgh.
EasyJet continues to grow its services at Edinburgh; the airline recently extended its summer route from Edinburgh to Jersey to operate throughout winter 2019 and is offering 40% more seats this summer to Italian destinations.
Ali Gayward, UK Country Manager for easyJet, commented: “We are delighted to be celebrating flying 50 million passengers from Edinburgh. Since the launch of our first flight from the city over 24 years ago Edinburgh has been a key market for easyJet and this is a fantastic milestone for us.
“We are committed to providing great value and convenient connections for our customers in Edinburgh, whether they’re travelling for business or leisure.”
“I have to thank our fantastic customers for their loyalty and support. We remain excited about the future at Edinburgh.”
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said: “Every day is a big day for someone at Edinburgh Airport, whether that’s a businesswoman heading to London for a crucial meeting, a grandparent flying to Seville to see their grandchild or a newly married couple heading to Venice for their honeymoon – easyJet has played its part in 50 million of those big days, which is a tremendous achievement.
“We have a great relationship with easyJet and their continued expansion at Scotland’s busiest airport demonstrates the strong commitment to Edinburgh as well as the popularity of its routes and destinations. We always welcome more choice and variety for passengers, something our passengers also welcome as 50 million can attest to.”
EasyJet now operates 39 routes from Edinburgh with over 540 flights a week in peak summer and offers high frequency links between Edinburgh and London, with up to 14 flights a day between Edinburgh and Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.