Edinburgh Airport Now Fifth Largest in the UK
“Our overall strategy is to be a leading European airport. That is the market we are competing in, and that is the market we want to be best in.”
Edinburgh Airport, now the fifth largest airport in the UK, serves 9.1 million passengers per year and handles more than 300 flights per day as well as around 10,250 tonnes of cargo per year. The airport is used by more than 40 airlines offering flights to UK and European destinations as well as to New York and Toronto.
The airport is a winner among passengers. Kevin Brown, Managing Director, points out, “Our focus on our passengers has paid dividends. In June this year, ACI Europe named Edinburgh Airport the best European airport handling five to 10 million passengers per year, and an ACI customer survey earlier this year ranked us among the top five European airports for customer service.”
BAA investing € 344 million in positioning airport as key UK hub
The airport’s owner, BAA, has announced that it plans to invest £300 million (€ 344 million) in the airport over the coming decade to position Edinburgh Airport as one of the UK’s leading hubs for international flights and cargo movement. A recent study by Scottish Enterprise shows that the development of Edinburgh Airport could boost Scotland’s economy by almost €1 billion per year.
Kevin Brown explains, “Edinburgh Airport’s success has been developed over a number of years and the airport is still growing sustainably. Edinburgh Airport is well connected to other capital cities but there is still scope for further connections, not only in Europe but beyond, including the Middle East and North America. Scotland is on the periphery of Europe so it is imperative that it maintain strong international aviation links in order to allow it to do business on a global scale.” He adds that the airport’s management has considerable autonomy, for example in negotiating contracts with airlines, allowing it to move forward at a rapid pace.
BAA has already made major investments in upgrading the airport, including a new € 12.6 million air traffic control tower, a € 21.7 million southeast pier extension, a € 45.8 million terminal extension, a major departure lounge expansion, new state of the art security facilities and additional retails and hospitality services. Kevin Brown notes, “These improvements, coupled with our ability to attract airlines and destinations, give Edinburgh Airport a strong platform on which to look to the future. Our overall strategy is to be a leading European airport. That is the market we are competing in, and that is the market we want to be best in.”
