Oil and gas activity pushes up passenger numbers at Sumburgh

Continued growth in the oil and gas sector boosted passenger numbers at Sumburgh Airport, which recorded an increase last month of 4.7 per cent.

Overall the 11 airports run by Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) handled 128,142 passengers in August, an increase of 0.3 per cent on the same month in 2011.

A total of 18,299 people used Sumburgh, easily the second busiest airport in the region after Inverness.

Other passenger numbers were: Inverness (64,524, up 0.5 per cent); Kirkwall (16,291, up 0.9 per cent); Stornoway (11,570, down 2.4 per cent); Dundee (5,385, up 1.8 per cent); Benbecula (3,473, down 5.2 per cent); Islay (3,114, up 10.5 per cent); Wick (1,661, down 34.3 per cent); Barra (1,602, up 9.2 per cent); Campbeltown (1,196, down 0.1 per cent); Tiree (1,027, down 4.7 per cent).