Airport passenger numbers rise

Edinburgh was Scotland's busiest airport last month

New international routes and services are said to be behind a large increase in traffic at Scotland's busiest airports last month.

Almost 1.4 million passengers used Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports in February - up 3.5% on last year.

Figures from airport operator, BAA Scotland showed that Edinburgh was Scotland's busiest airport.

Traffic was boosted by the start of the Six Nations Rugby championship.

International traffic across BAA's airports in Scotland went up by 13.7%, while the number of passengers on domestic flights fell by 1.1%.

February was a very strong month for Scotland's busiest airports at what is traditionally a very quite time of year Donald Morrison BAA Scotland

More than 40 new services, mainly international, are planned.

Aberdeen also saw a boost in international traffic which grew by 12.5%. Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Stavanger and Paris were among the north east's busiest international routes.

Traffic in Glasgow fell, mainly due to a decline in the number of charters. Glasgow handled 510,602 passengers in February - a drop of 1.8% on the previous year.

But Glasgow's top long haul destinations, Canada, the US and the United Arab Emirates, saw a 7% growth in demand.

BAA Scotland spokesman Donald Morrison said: "February was a very strong month for Scotland's busiest airports at what is traditionally a very quite time of year.

"The number of direct flights from Scotland has never been greater. That's good news for Scotland's business community, for holidaymakers, and for the country's tourist industry, as millions more flock to Scotland."