A fascinating presentation about Aberdeen Airport today from managing director Carol Benzie. She told the Nestrans board (the North East transport partnership) about the challenges facing the airport.
It is the fifth busiest by aircraft movement airport in the UK, Monday to Friday. Although 3.5 million people go through Dyce a year, some 300,000 people from the AB area are using Glasgow or Edinburgh airports.
Currently the airport is undergoing a £20m expansion with the first phase due to open in May.
Good news is that 15% and rising of passengers are using public transport to get to/from the airport. Stagecoach’s 727 bus link into the city centre is becoming more and more popular.
Of course all this is against the backdrop of the downturn in the energy industry – some 61% of travellers are business-related – however the leisure demand remains strong. The opening of the Aberdeen western peripheral route should also make the airport more easily accessibly for people to the south of Aberdeen. More passengers are expected to be attracted to Aberdeen from Angus in particular.