DUNDEE HAS continued to show the benefits of additional passenger services, with figures for the past 12 months showing an increase of over 10,500 on the previous year, thanks to the five months of operations by flyWhoosh to Birmingham and Belfast, writes Brian Smith, aviation reporter.

Passenger numbers at Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, who operate Dundee Airport through a subsidiary company, reached a record high of 1,270,023 over the same period. A further 64,639 passengers used Dundee Airport.

HIAL passenger growth for operating year 2007/08, excluding Dundee, was 3% while Dundee recorded an increase of almost 22% on the previous year’s figure.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said, “The vital role played by air transport in our region and the commitment of airlines to enhancing services have seen passenger demand increase and our airports handle record volumes of traffic in the past year.

“At Dundee, Loganair will launch Belfast and Birmingham services later this month, so there are a number of positive developments coming on stream.

“Increases to frequency and capacity on routes operated by Loganair have been a significant contributory factor to the growth achieved this year, helping to make the region’s remotest locations more accessible.

“At Inverness, the new Flybe scheduled services this spring and new holiday flights to Spain and Jersey this summer will see the airport develop new traffic over the next 12 months.”