PASSENGER NUMBERS at Dundee Airport showed a small fall in 2005 but was balanced by a rise in the number of aircraft, writes Brian smith, aviation reporter.

The drop of around 2% was anticipated and reflected the first full year of changes to the ScotAirways Dundee to London City services, difficult weather periods and other factors, a spokesperson for the airport said yesterday.

The number of passengers fell from 51,338 in 2004 to 49,219. Aircraft movements over the same period rose from 32,120 to 37,259.

Increased activity by Tayside Aviation and a rise in the number of business aircraft accounted for the rise. The number of business aircraft more than doubled, from 42 to 100, and was attributed to the presence of The Open at St Andrews and flights associated with the G8 conference.

Dundee City Council economic development convener Joe Morrow said, “Dundee Airport continues to fulfil a vital role for this area and the direct link into the heart of London is an integral part of growing this city’s economy.”

Elsewhere in Scotland Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports handled 1.36 million passengers in December alone, a rise of 3.9%. Over the course of last year, BAA’s three air hubs north of the border handled a total of 20.1 million passengers, an increase of 4.6% on 2004.

Domestic traffic grew by 3% through the year, while international traffic rose 7%.

During the traditional Christmas getaway, the growth in international traffic was even greater, up 14.1% on December the previous year.

Glasgow Airport retained its position as Scotland’s busiest, handling 8.8 million passengers during 2005, a rise of 2.5% on the previous year.

Tenerife was the favourite winter destination, with other sunshine breaks in Alicante and Malaga also proving popular.

Dublin, Reykjavik and Copenhagen were the best performing European routes, while Dubai was the strongest long-haul route.

Edinburgh Airport was Scotland’s busiest in December, handling 598,573 passengers, a rise of 3.5% on the previous year.

International passenger numbers grew by 17.3% and Prague, Hamburg and Amsterdam were the fastest growing destinations.

Passenger numbers on flights to and from New York were also much higher than the previous year.

Aberdeen Airport ended 2005 as BAA Scotland’s fastest growing air hub, with 229,088 passengers in December, up 10.4% on the previous year.

During 2005, Aberdeen Airport handled 2.8 million passengers, a rise of 8.4% on 2004. International traffic, meanwhile, soared by 28.2%.

Europe proved popular, with flights to Paris, Bergen and Copenhagen enjoying the strongest growth.

Dublin, Amsterdam and Stavanger, in Norway, also performed well. Southampton was the fastest growing domestic service, followed by Bristol, Birmingham and Sumburgh, in Shetland.