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New record set by Edinburgh airport

More than 14 million people used Edinburgh airport in its busiest year in 2018.

The total of 14.3 million was up by 6.5% on the 2017 level.

Scotland’s busiest airport saw international growth of 9.5% and domestic numbers up by almost 2%.

The airport ended the year by attracting more than one million passengers in December for the first time, an 11% increase on the same month in 2017.

Chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “We’re delighted to deliver yet another record year for a Scottish airport which highlights the incredible appetite there is for travel to and from Scotland.

“New routes and destinations for 2019 have already been announced and we’ll continue to add growth where we can.

“The uncertainty around Brexit obviously poses challenges and it’s crucial that we at least preserve access to that single aviation market that allows flights to pass freely through European skies, connecting Scotland to the whole of Europe.

“We also need to see movement on the pledge to cut Air Passenger Duty so we can continue to be competitive against other nations and harness the full potential of our industry and bolster the economy through tourism.

“There’s also infrastructure challenges such as our access road, a price we have to pay for our continued growth.

“We’re working on short and long-term solutions and that planning to improve access is something that will continue as we look ahead to what we hope is another successful year.”

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