Chapter 08 - Air Transport

Chapter 08 - Air Transport

1. Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information on air transport, such as passenger numbers by origin, destination and type of service, flight punctuality, amount of freight carried and air transport movements.

Transport and travel habits in Scotland were profoundly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with restrictions on travel and daily activity in place for large parts of 2020 and 2021.

Key Points

  • There were 7 million air passengers at Scottish airports in 2021, slightly less than in the previous year.
  • 43% travelled to or from Edinburgh and 30% to or from Glasgow.
  • 55 thousand tonnes of freight were carried by air in 2021.

2. Main Points

Passengers and Airports

2.1 There were 7 million air terminal passengers in 2021, 32,000 less than in the previous year. Passenger numbers increased by 39% between 2010 and 2018 reaching a peak of 29.4 million before falling 318% to 7 million in 2021 due to the pandemic and associated travel restrictions. (Table 8.1)

2.2 Edinburgh airport had 3 million terminal passengers in 2021 (13% decrease) and Glasgow airport had 2.1 million, 6% more than the previous year. Aberdeen had 1.1 million, (up 8%) and Inverness had 357,000 (49% more). Together these four airports accounted for 93% of the total. Prior to the pandemic, over the past ten years trends for these airports were similar to the national picture with increases in most years. (Table 8.1)

2.3 In 2021, London Heathrow accounted for 42% of passengers on selected domestic routes to and from Aberdeen, 26% for Edinburgh and 27% for Glasgow. London Gatwick had 32% of the domestic passengers to/from Inverness. Other domestic routes with large passenger numbers included those between Edinburgh and Gatwick, Stansted, Belfast and Bristol, and between Glasgow and Gatwick, Stansted, Belfast and Bristol. It should be noted that the figures will include passengers who are going for connecting flights to the rest of the world, particularly London Heathrow. (Table 8.2)

Origin/destinations

2.4 The most popular country of origin/destination for passengers flying directly to and from Scottish airports was Spain (excluding the Canary Islands) with 402,000 passenger journeys in 2021, 17% of all passengers on direct flights abroad. Other popular origins/destinations were the Netherlands (323,000 passengers), the Irish Republic (273,000 passengers) and Spain(Canary Islands) (271,000). The trends for many destinations are increasing numbers of passengers, either as a result of more people travelling or more routes becoming available. (Table 8.3a and Table 8.3b)

2.5 Some countries e.g. Ukraine and Kuwait are only served by charter flights, whereas all those who travelled to/from the Switzerland or Qatar used scheduled flights. (Table 8.4)

2.6 The most popular international airports (those with the largest numbers of passenger journeys for flights directly to and from Scotland's main airports in 2021) were Amsterdam with 321,000 passengers and Dublin with 256,000 passengers. However, it should be noted that Amsterdam and Dublin are global hubs with extensive connections to the rest of the world. (Table 8.5)

2.7 In 2021, 9% of all terminal passenger traffic was within Scotland, 51% was to/from other parts of the UK, and 29% was between Scotland and mainland Europe. (Table 8.6)

Delays and Movements

2.8 In 2021, the overall average delay was 7 minutes for flights to or from Edinburgh airport and 8 minutes from Glasgow (the user guide section describes the basis for these figures). Around 7% of flights to or from both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were delayed by more than 30 minutes. (Table 8.8)

2.9 The total number of aircraft movements in 2021 was 260,000. Aberdeen had the highest number of aircraft movements with 63,000, (87% of which were commercial movements), followed by Edinburgh (44,000) and Glasgow (40,000). (Table 8.9)

Air freight

2.10 Air freight carried in 2020 increased by 6,330 tonnes (13%) over the previous year to 55,343 tonnes. (Table 8.13)

Other statistics

2.11 The Civil Aviation Authority's 2018 passenger survey found large differences between the 4 main airports. Business passengers ranged from 22% at Glasgow and Edinburgh to 47% at Aberdeen. Fifty three per cent of passengers at Aberdeen airport were for leisure, compared with 79 per cent at Glasgow. (Table 8.14)

2.12 While around 30-49% of departing passengers at each airport arrived by private car, there were marked differences in the use of other modes of transport: taxi/minicab use ranged from 5% at Inverness to 29% at Glasgow; bus/coach travellers varied from 7% at Edinburgh to 12% at Aberdeen and hire car users from 3% at Glasgow to 25% at Inverness. (Table 8.15)

Notes

This worksheet contains one table.

note 1

Statistics are not collected for some of the smaller airports on Orkney and Shetland, which are therefore not included in any overall totals.

note 2

Aircraft movements excludes both Campbeltown and Barra pre-1999.

note 3

For 2000 and earlier years, air taxi movements were counted under domestic and International aircraft movements. From 2001, this breakdown is no longer available. They have therefore been shown separately for 2001 onwards.

note 4

Including UK offshore flights.

note 5

Other includes positioning flights, local movements, test and training, other flights by air transport operators, aero club, private, official, military and business

note 6

In this table, non-paying passengers are excluded up to 2001 and included afterwards.

note 7

Belfast includes Belfast and Belfast City airport.

note 8

Scotland's main international airports are Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Glasgow Prestwick.

note 9

The EU15 comprises of the countries in the European Union prior to the accession of ten candidate countries on 1 May 2004: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

note 10

This table does not cover all international travel; charter only routes where fewer than 5,000 passengers were carried from an airport are included in table 4.

note 11

The number of foreign airports is shown in the CAA table as the destinations of international scheduled services from Scottish airports in that year. For example, the CAA table shows Rome (Ciampino) and Rome (Fiumicino) separately (for services from Glasgow Prestwick and Edinburgh respectively, in 2003) so they are counted as two separate foreign airports.

note 12

International scheduled services to the same foreign airport from different Scottish airports are counted as separate routes. For example, Aberdeen/Dublin, Edinburgh/Dublin, Glasgow/Dublin and Glasgow Prestwick/Dublin are counted as four separate routes. More than one airline may operate services on a particular route.

note 13

Charter only routes are counted under Other international traffic in cases where fewer than 5,000 passengers were carried from an airport

note 14

The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man were not included in previous editions of this table. Although they are now, they represent less than one percent of travel to other UK airports.

note 15

Domestic traffic is counted both at the airport of arrival and at the airport of departure. The total of domestic traffic is, therefore, only a measure of airport activity.

note 16

Statistics are not collected for some of the smaller airports on Orkney and Shetland and are therefore not included in any overall totals.

note 17

Air transport movements which took place but for which there was no corresponding planned flight (e.g. diversions from another airport to this airport)

note 18

Planned flights for which there was no air transport movement (e.g. flights that were cancelled or diverted to another airport). Due to changes to the collection of planned flights, this data is no longer available.

note 19

The average delays for 2000 onwards are not comparable to the figures for 1999 and earlier years. Up to December 1999, an early flight was counted as a "negative delay"; from January 2000, an early flights is counted as "zero delay".

note 20

The punctuality figures for Edinburgh for 2001 onwards are not comparable to the figures for 2000 and earlier years.

note 21

Statistics are not collected for some of the smaller airports on Orkney and Shetland and these are therefore not included in any overall totals.

note 22

The change in the figures for Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1998 was due to a company switching its parcel hub from Glasgow to Edinburgh in 1998.

note 23

Data for these airports previously came from CAA which does not hold detailed information (passengers/freight carried) etc for charter services operated by aircraft below 15 tonnes Maximum Take Off Mass . More detailed information including on smaller aircraft has been obtained from Highland & Islands airports Ltd and the figures have been revised back to 2000.

note 24

The figures for 1996 and earlier years may appear not to total 100% because they were rounded independently and then given only as whole percentages. The mode of transport includes cases where more than one form of transport is used.

note 25

Terminating passengers are those who arrive at or depart from an airport by surface means of transport. Terminating passengers do not equal terminal passengers: the latter also include transfer passengers (people who change aircraft at an airport).

Table 8.1a: Air passengers at Scottish airports. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year Terminal (thousands) Transit (thousands) Total (thousands)
1990 9,861 438 10,300
1991 9,571 332 9,902
1992 10,383 372 10,755
1993 11,121 445 11,565
1994 11,864 359 12,223
1995 12,392 322 12,714
1996 13,258 303 13,561
1997 14,429 247 14,676
1998 15,248 211 15,459
1999 15,988 155 16,144
2000 16,787 117 16,904
2001 18,081 131 18,212
2002 19,783 107 19,890
2003 21,084 71 21,155
2004 22,555 102 22,657
2005 23,795 91 23,886
2006 24,437 86 24,523
2007 25,132 109 25,242
2008 24,348 85 24,433
2009 22,493 43 22,536
2010 20,905 50 20,955
2011 22,065 46 22,111
2012 22,207 29 22,236
2013 23,251 25 23,276
2014 24,076 27 24,103
2015 25,509 26 25,535
2016 26,923 21 26,944
2017 28,831 21 28,852
2018 29,444 23 29,467
2019 28,877 23 28,900
2020 7,039 17 7,056
2021 7,000 22 7,022
Table 8.1b: Terminal passengers, by airport, thousands: Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Airport 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Aberdeen 3,083 3,329 3,440 3,723 3,469 2,955 3,090 3,056 2,913 994 1,076
Barra 10 11 9 11 11 13 15 15 15 6 10
Benbecula 34 31 31 31 32 32 33 35 35 13 20
Campbeltown 9 9 9 9 8 8 9 8 8 2 3
Dundee 62 55 28 22 22 38 21 21 21 9 20
Edinburgh 9,384 9,194 9,775 10,159 11,113 12,348 13,409 14,292 14,734 3,474 3,024
Glasgow 6,858 7,150 7,358 7,709 8,710 9,324 9,895 9,653 8,843 1,945 2,071
Glasgow Prestwick 1,296 1,067 1,145 912 610 672 696 681 639 91 78
Inverness 579 602 607 611 668 782 874 893 938 240 357
Islay 26 21 26 27 29 28 32 33 35 9 13
Kirkwall 134 132 150 151 150 153 164 170 162 55 76
Lerwick (Tingwall) 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1 2
Scatsta 288 304 298 280 254 162 171 175 109 36 -
Stornoway 122 116 120 127 125 124 132 133 130 43 61
Sumburgh 143 149 210 263 270 249 256 246 267 114 182
Tiree 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 12 5 8
Unst - - - - - - - - - - -
Wick John O'Groats 24 25 33 28 24 20 18 17 13 2 -
Total [note1] 22,065 22,207 23,251 24,076 25,509 26,923 28,831 29,444 28,877 7,039 7,000
Table 8.1c: Aircraft movements, by type. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics. Table 1c: Aircraft movements, by type
Year Domestic (thousands) [note2] [note3] International and UK offshore (thousands) [note2] [note3] [note4] Air taxi (thousands) [note2] [note3] Other movements (thousands) [note2] [note5] Total (thousands) [note2] [note1]
1990 174 97 [not available] 326 597
1991 174 99 [not available] 298 571
1992 182 102 [not available] 269 553
1993 184 109 [not available] 240 532
1994 183 98 [not available] 227 508
1995 194 94 [not available] 232 520
1996 203 95 [not available] 199 496
1997 208 104 [not available] 184 497
1998 216 107 [not available] 168 489
1999 220 105 [not available] 154 479
2000 225 108 [not available] 141 474
2001 219 114 27 132 492
2002 222 114 26 111 473
2003 229 113 26 135 503
2004 241 119 26 129 514
2005 255 128 26 135 544
2006 256 138 26 133 554
2007 254 144 30 131 560
2008 247 139 31 126 543
2009 225 129 28 108 490
2010 206 124 24 102 457
2011 206 135 26 100 467
2012 204 138 29 107 478
2013 201 145 30 104 480
2014 202 146 28 107 483
2015 207 142 30 101 480
2016 197 146 33 105 481
2017 210 151 23 111 495
2018 205 154 18 104 481
2019 193 155 19 111 478
2020 80 70 14 68 232
2021 87 65 17 91 260
Table 8.2a: Passengers on selected domestic routes, to/from Aberdeen airport, thousands. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Edinburgh - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Glasgow 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 - 0.1 0.3 - 0.1 - 0.1
Inverness - - - - - - 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1
Kirkwall 41.5 47.2 48.6 49.1 48.2 35.7 54.9 57.6 49.9 20.6 28.4
Scatsta 154.1 168.1 165.7 159.9 142.7 75.1 94.6 94.1 60.6 19.2 0
Stornoway 6.0 5.6 5.5 6.2 5.5 3.6 4.8 6 0 0 0
Sumburgh 69.1 75.2 115.3 150.7 143.7 107.4 155.5 140.7 116.1 51 77.8
Wick John O'Groats 14.8 14.6 13.9 14.4 12.8 5.7 6.9 7.8 5.3 0.5 0
Gatwick 177.8 233.9 173.2 161.8 163.2 143.7 156.4 150.1 10.5 0.1 51.8
Heathrow 652.5 663.8 712.2 776.9 726.7 592.7 622 675.8 692.3 203.1 244.4
London City - 15.8 73.2 72.0 63.3 64.5 54.4 42.2 5 0 0
Luton 147.7 120 82.8 74.5 71.3 72.1 75.1 72.6 79.6 25.4 34.9
Belfast [note7] 18.9 21.5 30.2 37.5 40 43.3 42.8 41.9 38.7 6 11.1
Birmingham 83.0 87.3 96.8 125.1 115.8 129.6 131.1 112.6 113.1 17.8 17.3
Bristol 32.8 32.9 34.9 31.8 26.4 21.6 16.7 13.2 15.8 4.5 22.3
Cardiff Wales 10.5 14.1 13.2 12.9 10.6 5.6 8.4 6.8 0.6 0.8 0
Durham Tees valley 31.3 33.4 32.7 35 28.2 13.2 17.5 21.5 17.1 0  
East Midlands 18.9 19.8 18.4 16.7 15.5 5.4 - - 0.1 0  
Exeter 22.4 4.8 - - - - 0.1 - 0.1 0.1 2.4
Humberside 30.2 32.2 34.2 36.6 30.1 18.2 23.6 23.1 19.3 8.1 12.4
Leeds/Bradford 0.5 0.6 12.3 7.0 9.2 3.6 5.1 2.2 0.1 0  
Manchester 144.5 180.7 203.3 226.1 202.6 202.4 208.1 218.6 214 39.8 31.7
Newcastle 24.8 24.9 30.8 30.2 20.8 8.9 11.4 10.9 22.2 9.1 3.8
Newquay - - - - - - - - - - 9.7
Norwich 61.7 64.6 63.8 60.2 50.6 42.4 45.4 41.9 45.6 18.2 19.7
Southend - - - - - - - - 25.1 4.9  
Southampton 22.6 16.3 9.5 14.0 13.9 6.7 14.2 7.7 1.3 1.7 0.4
Teeside - - - - - - - - 6.2 6.2 9.3
Total these routes 1,766 1,877 1,971 2,099 1,941 1,602 1,749 1,747 1,539 437 578
Channel Islands 2.1 2.3 2.2 13.0 17.9 2.4 2.8 2.5 2.8 0 2.4
Isle of Man - - - - - - - - 0 0.2  
Table 8.2b: Passengers on selected domestic routes, to/from Edinburgh airport, thousands. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Glasgow - - - - - - 2.8 2.8 1.4 1.4 0.5
Inverness - - - - - 0.1 0.2 - 0.4 - 0.1
Kirkwall 36.5 40.0 43.5 45.4 44.5 45.8 45.9 46.2 48.4 13.0 15.4
Prestwick - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Stornoway 21.7 19.9 19.3 20.5 20.6 20.6 16.9 17.9 18.4 4.2 7.8
Sumburgh 35.6 36.9 39.9 45.0 44.8 43.5 47.1 47.6 44.8 11.7 19.3
Wick John O'Groats 9.1 9.6 11.4 11.7 11.1 11.6 11.1 9.3 7.4 1.4 -
Gatwick 669.1 696.8 693.7 690.4 672.9 700.1 737.3 740.9 731.8 202.7 195.8
Heathrow 1,271.5 1,255.0 1,355.9 1,472.8 1,383.9 1,053.4 1,179.8 1,198.8 1,196.9 329.4 382
London City 344.9 322.7 333.9 352.3 532.9 528.0 484.9 497.0 513.4 95.4 90.9
Luton 259.4 269.8 273.5 259.7 266.6 272.5 309.1 315.1 312.7 96.3 123.4
Stansted 390.4 346.4 326.6 360.3 622.2 836.9 720.3 732.0 618.6 100.2 106.9
Belfast [note7] 351.9 361.5 372.8 377.9 400.8 439.9 456.9 479.4 482.3 144.4 215.8
Birmingham 289.0 285.9 284.2 284.0 277.9 267.3 255.1 267.7 265.8 56.1 82.2
Bournemouth - 0.2 0.1 - 0.3 0.1 - 0.1 - - 11.8
Bristol 286.6 295.5 305.2 322.8 352.0 381.9 393.9 400.0 396.9 129.9 174.8
Cardiff Wales 83.6 77.7 77.0 57.6 69.2 94.3 99.4 102.1 111.4 16.8 6.9
City of Derry - - - - - - - 13.4 77.0 24.8 -
East Midlands 109.8 72.7 86.7 92.7 95.3 93.7 92.9 93.2 72.1 10.8  
Exeter 51.4 40.2 36.5 38.3 45.1 45.2 47.6 48.1 58.1 9.1 13
Leeds/Bradford 9.8 2.2 - - - - - - - - -
Liverpool - - - - - 15.9 - 0.2 - - -
Manchester 119.6 108.3 118.5 109.3 114.1 102.3 117.4 117.0 116.3 14.0 -
Manston (Kent Int) 26.5 3.4 - - - - - - - - -
Newquay 13.7 9.9 4.5 2.3 2.4 2.7 5.0 4.4 4.0 - 8.8
Norwich 46.4 39.7 24.7 28.5 29.3 25.8 28.6 29.8 33.8 5.5 4
Southampton 203.6 204.5 207.6 203.2 194.1 198.5 208.1 183.2 182.7 28.9 35.1
Southend - - 39.1 23.7 - - 0.7 0.1 0.1 - -
Total these routes 4,630.1 4,498.8 4,654.6 4,798.4 5,180.0 5,180.1 5,261.0 5,346.3 5,294.7 1,296.0 1,494.6
Channel Islands 14.6 11.1 9.2 3.2 6.4 7.0 5.5 20.3 24.9 4.7 11.7
Isle of Man 11.6 10.8 4.2 0 0 0 3.5 6.2 7.9 1.8 3.7
Table 8.2c: Passengers on selected domestic routes, to/from Glasgow airport, thousands. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Barra 8.4 9.0 9.1 10.5 10.7 12.8 14.9 14.7 14.6 6.1 9.9
Benbecula 22.6 19.7 21.8 23.0 23.5 24.2 24.1 26.1 25.8 8.6 14.8
Campbeltown 9.2 8.6 9.3 9.3 8.2 8.4 8.6 8.4 7.9 2.0 2.7
Inverness - - - 0.1 - 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 - 0.1
Islay 25.5 25.1 25.6 27.2 28.7 22.3 32.6 32.8 29.0 8.5 12.6
Kirkwall 15.3 15.1 17.6 17.3 17.4 16.0 19.6 22.5 20.2 5.3 7.5
Stornoway 55.1 55.6 57.5 61.9 62.4 55.4 75.0 75.9 75.8 26.1 38
Sumburgh 17.9 18.0 20.1 24.5 28.6 24.5 33.0 29.2 23.3 5.8 9.8
Tiree 7.8 7.9 7.6 8.0 8.7 8.3 11.3 11.7 11.6 4.9 8
Gatwick 565.8 607.4 606.3 613.3 612.5 608.6 618.7 620.4 641.6 175.3 194.4
Heathrow 820.9 828.5 870.0 871.0 907.9 893.8 909.1 911.2 865.0 271.7 369
London City 149.4 158.2 175.4 207.9 238.4 235.1 231.1 230.2 253.8 51.6 58.1
Luton 274.6 276.5 280.7 270.2 215.1 214.7 234.8 243.7 245.6 79.2 109
Stansted 342.8 331.6 308.7 304.2 533.3 652.4 527.1 432.3 278.5 82.1 108.8
Belfast [note7] 352.8 367.0 370.1 384.6 421.5 452.2 424.6 440.3 435.7 133.2 173.4
Birmingham 211.9 208.1 203.5 229.4 226.7 226.7 221.7 234.5 230.0 44.0 59.3
Bristol 222.2 239.7 257.4 245.3 267.2 297.3 307.0 312.1 322.1 99.1 140.9
Cardiff Wales 47.2 39.8 48.2 27.9 18.1 37.7 28.9 33.3 24.6 1.2 0.8
City of Derry - - - 13.3 76.0 80.7 85.0 64.7 14.4 4.1 11.1
East Midlands 103.4 70.7 85.5 91.9 95.0 109.5 102.7 97.1 64.9 6.8 0.1
Exeter 24.4 25.6 23.8 20.7 3.1 32.8 38.8 39.9 34.3 3.2 8.3
Leeds/Bradford 13.2 11.9 10.0 9.8 8.3 7.0 7.0 - - - 0.1
Manchester 49.4 50.0 52.0 68.3 45.4 42.5 51.2 62.5 47.2 0.1 -
Newcastle - - - - - - - - - - 0.3
Newquay 0.9 3.6 1.8 - - 2.3 3.1 2.0 3.8 - 6.8
Plymouth 13.6 - - - - - - - - -  
Southampton 139.6 173.6 182.6 173.0 158.3 179.4 197.8 186.3 170.6 28.6 31.8
Southend - - - - - - - 42.0 21.6 0.1 -
Teeside - - - - - - - - - - 0.2
Total these routes 3,493.9 3,551.2 3,644.6 3,712.6 4,015.0 4,245.1 4,207.9 4,174.0 3,862.0 1,047.6 1,375.6
Channel Islands 17.0 28.3 36.4 34.1 34.7 40.7 56.1 55.7 51.1 10.5 30.3
Isle of Man 11.0 11.1 4 7.5 9.9 8 5.5 2 0.1 0 0
Table 8.2d: Passengers on selected domestic routes, to/from Glasgow Prestwick airport, thousands. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Stansted 88.5 - - - - - 0.1 - - - 0.1
Belfast City - - - - - - 0.2 - - - -
Birmingham - - - - - - - - 0.1 - -
Bournemouth - - - - - - - - - - -
Cardiff Wales - - - - - - 0.1 - - - -
City of Derry 70.6 72.8 69.5 52.1 - - - - - - -
Total these routes 159.1 72.8 69.5 52.1 - - 0.4 - 0.1 - 0.1
Channel Islands - - - - - - - - - - -
Isle of Man - - - - - - 0.1 - - - -
Table 8.2e: Passengers on selected domestic routes, to/from Inverness airport, thousands. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Benbecula - - 0.7 1.4 2.1 - - - - - -
Kirkwall 21.7 16.8 19.2 19.1 19.9 19.2 23.7 22.6 21.6 4.3 7.3
Stornoway 36.4 36.2 32.9 29.1 27.1 31.2 29.2 27.6 29.8 10.1 14
Sumburgh 1.5 4.2 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.5 1.0 0.1 0.2 - 0.3
Gatwick 222.7 230.4 219.3 192.9 207.1 237.9 263.4 262.2 258.4 83.5 111
Heathrow - - - - - 57.9 79.1 97.6 140.4 42.9 64
London City - - - 7.6 4.9 - - - - - -
Luton 99.6 88.8 91.8 89.6 93.5 133.9 136.4 147.2 146.6 35.8 65.8
Stansted 0.2 0.1 - - - 0.1 0.4 0.1 - - -
Belfast [note7] 21.5 23.6 23.3 27.2 29.2 30.3 33.2 36 32.9 4.6 13.2
Birmingham 30.3 33 34.8 41.2 41.4 42.5 44.1 45.1 39.7 4.6 10.3
Bristol 75.4 78.1 81.2 77.6 82.4 87.7 96.7 92.8 91 28.2 47.2
East Midlands Int - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 3.7 0.1 0
Manchester 49.2 51 55.8 70.5 84.5 68.2 65.6 56.7 50.4 10.2 11.2
Newquay - - - - - - - - - - 1.8
Southhampton 2.1 1.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -
Total these routes 560.6 564.0 562.3 559.6 595.8 712.4 772.8 788.1 814.7 224.3 346.1
Channel Islands 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.1 1.9 2 1.8 1.8 0 0.1
Isle of Man - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0
Table 8.3a: International air passenger traffic to and from the main Scottish international airports (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick). Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Austria 28.2 28.3 28.6 29.9 29.0 79.6 89.7 95.2 81.5 30.1 7.9
Belgium 110.6 115.6 153.7 153.0 172.2 194.8 216.5 239.9 250.1 47.6 20.5
Bulgaria 45.6 46.8 46.1 39.3 39.3 49.6 73.6 91.1 101.8 29.6 18.5
Croatia [note8] 7.1 12.9 31.6 42.0 56.3 62.2 109.7 102.7 88.1 4.8 15.9
Cyprus 148.7 152.9 119.6 112.4 134.3 162.4 175.4 181.5 176.7 29.7 30.7
Czech Republic 47.9 48.0 89.6 79.0 96.3 97.9 124.6 181.4 181.5 45.9 19.4
Denmark 178.2 188.6 220.3 187.0 254.0 298.3 266.5 279.2 290.9 47.8 40.4
Estonia 29.1 - - - 0.2 0.1 - 6.6 35.1 10.4 2.9
Finland 37.4 32.1 3.7 4.5 4.8 32.1 39.9 54.9 68.3 6.6 16.2
France 787.5 808.3 806.7 727.2 725.7 861.7 909.6 987.5 923.9 216.2 111.2
Germany 682.0 698.7 761.2 823.5 852.6 1,009.8 1,127.6 1,196.8 1,159.5 192.0 105.1
Greece 163.7 212.9 193.0 270.3 258.6 277.2 335.2 370.1 359.8 66.4 60.1
Hungary 24.4 36.5 37.9 37.1 60.6 86.9 94.1 131.5 138.7 65.4 28.3
Irish Republic 852.8 816.6 843.9 950.8 1,102.3 1,239.0 1,296.6 1,313.5 1,354.4 286.0 272.8
Italy 342.3 384.3 396.9 375.4 398.7 584.9 684.2 753.2 804.4 174.3 66.5
Latvia 46.5 20.2 31.9 38.5 20.3 29.5 43.5 37.3 34.8 16.8 19.6
Lithuania 32.3 29.0 24.8 21.3 29.8 36.2 42.4 37.4 28.5 14.4 14.2
Luxembourg - 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.8 0.1 35.5 9.5 0.0
Malta 71.2 57.5 61.5 67.1 74.8 84.8 96.3 114.7 104.9 15.0 20.7
Netherlands 1,135.0 1,223.3 1,244.6 1,323.5 1,353.4 1,368.7 1,409.3 1,438.7 1,490.0 411.2 323.0
Poland 326.9 341.3 431.4 355.7 489.7 589.8 625.2 611.8 614.0 282.7 161.2
Portugal (excl Madeira) 280.0 273.9 298.3 294.8 306.5 346.0 436.1 440.8 448.9 81.4 91.6
Portugal (Madeira) 23.1 22.8 21.3 29.3 53.4 55.7 52.5 36.0 35.5 13.2 13.9
Romania - - - 0.4 1.9 58.2 70.8 44.5 56.5 39.4 30.7
Slovak Republic 44.2 33.6 32.1 23.1 23.6 30.9 39.3 38.0 37.1 12.0 5.7
Slovenia 0.9 - - 0.3 - 0.4 1.1 0.6 - - 0.0
Spain (excl Canary Isles) 1,726.8 1,746.8 1,929.4 1,874.3 1,987.3 2,351.0 2,818.9 2,769.0 2,651.8 334.8 402.2
Spain (Canary Islands) 838.3 816.6 849.5 934.1 933.1 1,145.0 1,336.2 1,268.3 1,207.0 307.7 270.9
Sweden 137.4 128.2 112.6 83.5 105.7 107.8 136.6 164.4 179.3 17.8 13.6
Total EU28 countries (Excl UK) 8,148.2 8,275.7 8,770.4 8,877.3 9,564.2 11,241.1 12,652.3 12,986.7 12,938.4 2,808.7 2,184.0
Total EU15 countries [note9] 7,323.5 7,497.1 7,863.9 8,061.0 8,537.2 9,952.0 11,156.2 11,407.7 11,340.7 2,242.6 1,816.0
Armenia - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Azerbaijan 4.1 5.8 - - 0.2 - - - - - 0.1
Barbados 7.6 6.0 5.2 6.4 7.3 5.1 7.8 8.1 6.7 4.2 1.5
Canada 112.4 117.8 106.1 112.3 148.4 166.6 168.0 182.0 166.8 9.0 1.0
Cape Verde Islands 13.4 22.0 0.2 - - 3.3 20.8 16.0 - - -
China - - - - - - - 19.3 29.2 0.7 -
Cuba 1.3 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.9 2.9 0.6 0.6 - - -
Dominican Republic 16.8 0.7 - 6.1 - - - 0.2 - - -
Egypt 72.9 66.3 67.0 46.8 44.9 - 3.6 8.1 4.7 - 0.2
Faroe Islands 0.9 0.6 1.5 1.4 8.6 11.0 12.7 15.5 15.2 1.6 3.3
Gibralter - - - - - - - - - - 8.6
Greenland 8.7 - 0.2 - - - - - - - -
Iceland 33.2 42.6 72.8 97.0 112.6 172.0 227.6 213.3 160.9 32.6 13.8
India - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Israel - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Jamaica 0.9 - - 0.2 1.3 0.8 3.0 4.6 4.1 0.9 -
Kuwait - - - - - - - - - - 0.2
Mexico 35.3 33.2 30.5 29.2 37.1 38.7 39.5 48.3 45.3 - -
Morocco 25.2 0.2 0.2 5.4 30.9 15.8 - - - - -
Norway 309.4 337.4 339.9 352.8 320.5 288.1 271.6 293.1 320.5 82.9 49.6
Pakistan 1.9 - - - - - - - - - -
Qatar - - - 54.0 115.5 134.0 133.3 140.7 168.0 40.9 26.9
Republic of Moldova - - - - - - - - - - 1.2
Republic of South Africa - - - - - - - - - - 0.1
Russia - 0.7 0.8 - 0.1 0.1 - 1.0 0.3 - 0.1
Saudi Arabia - - - - - - - - - - 0.4
Switzerland 215.4 236.5 241.1 266.0 276.9 281.8 350.1 353.7 367.2 100.1 24.6
Tunisia 21.6 32.7 61.4 67.7 35.2 - - 14.4 39.4 - -
Turkey 328.0 316.0 351.7 404.0 425.7 319.1 257.3 369.4 441.8 111.7 41.8
Ukraine - - - - - - - - - - 0.2
United Arab Emirates 275.0 314.7 402.3 424.6 502.4 555.7 585.7 580.6 621.7 162.8 67.5
United States of America 411.3 367.7 367.0 446.8 489.1 524.8 676.0 681.5 569.6 35.5 0.1
Total non-EU countries 1,891.2 1,895.8 2,048.4 2,321.3 2,557.3 2,519.7 2,757.7 2,950.7 2,961.4 583.0 241.0
Total all countries [note10] 10,039.4 10,171.5 10,818.7 11,198.7 12,121.5 13,760.8 15,409.9 15,937.3 15,899.8 3,391.7 2,424.9
Table 8.3b: Scheduled international passenger traffic to/from the main Scottish international airports (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick). Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year Foreign airports served [note11] Routes [note12] Passengers on scheduled services (thousands)
1996 26 37 1678.3
1997 27 38 2030.2
1998 27 40 2229.9
1999 32 46 2621.6
2000 46 61 3063.0
2001 39 55 3499.0
2002 40 53 3603.4
2003 54 82 3982.2
2004 66 95 5161.6
2005 71 97 6279.2
2006 83 122 7141.3
2007 93 142 7938.3
2008 95 150 8153.4
2009 103 168 8054.5
2010 100 145 7390.8
2011 101 146 8172.6
2012 107 154 8396.7
2013 113 167 9240.5
2014 110 176 9824.0
2015 120 185 10805.1
2016 137 219 12605.2
2017 152 252 14244.5
2018 159 259 15155.6
2019 147 241 15134.0
2020 121 192 3263.6
2021 115 166 2344.7
Table 8.4: Passenger traffic on selected international routes, to and from Scotland's main airports (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick), 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country Scheduled Charter Total
Armenia 0 130 130
Austria 7,549 317 7,866
Azerbaijan 0 88 88
Barbados 707 798 1,505
Belgium 20,268 267 20,535
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 0 -
Bulgaria 18,439 66 18,505
Canada 998 0 998
China 0 0 -
Croatia 15,594 270 15,864
Cyprus 26,001 4685 30,686
Czech Republic 18,465 968 19,433
Denmark 34,580 5859 40,439
Egypt 0 160 160
Estonia 2,861 70 2,931
Faroe Islands 2,802 482 3,284
Finland 9,948 6251 16,199
France 110,169 1048 111,217
Germany 103,992 1156 105,148
Gibraltar 8,538 76 8,614
Greece 56,469 3647 60,116
Guyana 0 0 -
Hong Kong 0 0 -
Hungary 28,029 260 28,289
Iceland 12,907 862 13,769
India 0 119 119
Irish Republic 271,700 1078 272,778
Israel 0 98 98
Italy 65,142 1359 66,501
Ivory Coast 0 38 38
Jamaica 0 0 -
Kuwait 0 174 174
Latvia 19,399 248 19,647
Lithuania 14,248 0 14,248
Luxembourg 0 47 47
Malta 20,566 89 20,655
Netherlands 322,659 332 322,991
Nigeria 0 0 -
Norway 49,213 339 49,552
Oil rigs 0 321890 321,890
Poland 160,847 372 161,219
Portugal(excluding Madeira) 91,250 394 91,644
Portugal(Madeira) 13,864 0 13,864
Qatar 26,851 0 26,851
Republic of Moldova 0 1180 1,180
Republic of South Africa 0 80 80
Romania 30,669 59 30,728
Russia 0 64 64
Saudi Arabia 168 186 354
Slovak Republic 5,659 89 5,748
Spain 392,142 10018 402,160
Spain(Canary Islands) 239,672 31201 270,873
Sweden 12,569 1053 13,622
Switzerland 24,569 0 24,569
Turkey 37,801 3977 41,778
Ukraine 0 225 225
United Arab Emirates 67,415 107 67,522
USA 0 60 60
Total passenger traffic counted for these countries for Scotland's main airports [note13] 2,202,365 396,784 2,599,149
Other international traffic at main Scottish airports [note13] [not available] [not available] - 173,984
All international traffic for Scotland's main airports [not available] [not available] 2,425,165
International traffic at other Scottish airports [not available] [not available] 10,779
Total International traffic at all Scottish airports [not available] [not available] 2,435,944
Table 8.5: International airports with the largest numbers of passenger journeys for flights directly to and from Scotland's main airports (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick) , 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country Scheduled Charter Total
Amsterdam 320,353 298 320,651
Dublin 255,785 670 256,455
Tenerife (Surreina Sofia) 128,979 19,082 148,061
Alicante 120,031 1770 121,801
Malaga 89,777 2171 91,948
Palma de Mallorca 66,972 4705 71,677
Paris (Charles de Gaulle) 69,819 0 69,819
Dubai 67,415 54 67,469
Frankfurt Main 61,763 523 62,286
Arrecife 53,245 8564 61,809
Table 8.6: Terminal passenger traffic by origin/destination, 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country Other Scottish airports Other UK airports [note14] UK offshore Eire Europe North America Rest of world Total
Aberdeen 106,371 473,603 321,890 4,190 171,235 - 38 1,077,327
Barra 9,954 - - - - - - 9,954
Benbecula 20,346 - - - - - - 20,346
Campbeltown 2,881 - - - - - - 2,881
Dundee - 19,201 - 9 13 - - 19,223
Eday 296 - - - - - - 296
Edinburgh 43,258 1,467,027 - 172,133 1,311,720 24 27,998 3,022,160
Fair Isle 1,442 - - - - - - 1,442
Foula 858 - - - - - - 858
Glasgow 103,923 1,302,672 - 96,455 494,059 1,034 68,865 2,067,008
Inverness 21,792 324,504 - - 10,757 - - 357,053
Islay 12,777 57 - - - - - 12,834
Kirkwall 82,113 - 76 - - - - 82,189
Lerwick (Tingwall) 2,300 - - - - - - 2,300
North Ronaldsay 5,023 - - - - - - 5,023
Oban 187 - - - - - - 187
Papa Stour - - - - - - - -
Papa Westray 3,950 - - - - - - 3,950
Glasgow Prestwick 54 50 - - 77,414 - - 77,518
Sanday 2,550 - - - - - - 2,550
Scatsta - - - - - - - -
Stornoway 65,325 - - - - - - 65,325
Stronsay 2,611 - - - - - - 2,611
Sumburgh 113,505 5,231 67,292 - - - - 186,028
Tiree 8,218 172 - - - - - 8,390
Westray 2,782 - - - - - - 2,782
Wick John O'Groats - - - - - - - -
Total 612,516 3,592,517 389,258 272,787 2,065,198 1,058 96,901 7,030,235
Table 8.7: Terminal air passengers by airport, international/domestic and type of service, 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country Scheduled (International / UK Offshore) Charter (International / UK Offshore) Total (International / UK Offshore) Scheduled (Domestic) [note15] Charter (Domestic) [note15] Total (Domestic) [note15] Total (all passengers) [note16]
Aberdeen 162,073 335,492 497,565 543,116 34,958 578,074 1,075,639
Barra - - - 9,954 - 9,954 9,954
Benbecula - - - 20,320 - 20,320 20,320
Campbeltown - - - 2,881 - 2,881 2,881
Dundee - 94 94 19,155 409 19,564 19,658
Edinburgh 1,496,890 15,009 1,511,899 1,508,215 3,500 1,511,715 3,023,614
Glasgow 608,489 51,924 660,413 1,408,427 2,168 1,410,595 2,071,008
Glasgow Prestwick 77,268 508 77,776 31 - 31 77,807
Inverness 10,757 - 10,757 346,044 340 346,384 357,141
Islay - - - 12,761 - 12,761 12,761
Kirkwall - 76 76 75,123 578 75,701 75,777
Lerwick (Tingwall) - - - 2,300 - 2,300 2,300
Scatsta - - - - - - -
Stornoway - 2 2 60,705 77 60,782 60,784
Sumburgh - 67,294 67,294 76,518 38,508 115,026 182,320
Tiree - - - 8,196 - 8,196 8,196
Wick John O'Groats - - - - - - -
Total 2,355,477 470,399 2,825,876 4,093,746 80,538 4,174,284 7,000,160
Table 8.8a: Punctuality of flights at Edinburgh airport. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Matched (UK) 58,404 56,926 55,314 54,580 58,822 57,931 58,314 57,117 58,653 16,832 16,653
Unmatched - actual (UK) [note17] 106 82 83 71 71 20 - 2 - - -
Unmatched - planned (UK) [note18] 274 257 224 212 285 - - - - - -
early to 15 mins late (UK) (proportion) 84 84 85 82 80 75 75 75 78 86 87
16 to 30 mins late (UK) (proportion) 8 8 7 9 10 11 11 10 9 5 5
31 to 60 mins late (UK) (proportion) 5 5 5 5 6 8 8 7 6 3 4
1 hr 1 min to 3 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 3 3 3 4 4 6 5 6 5 3 3
3hrs 1 min to 6 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
more than 6 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Average delay (UK) (minutes) [note19] 9 9 9 10 12 15 14 14 12 7 7
Matched (UK and International) 99,823 97,645 98,670 96,292 102,038 110,276 116,771 118,725 121,258 37,496 33,800
Unmatched - actual (UK and International) [note17] 276 188 150 113 134 36 1 2 1 0  
Unmatched - planned (UK and International) [note18] 552 312 275 260 394 - - - - - -
early to 15 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 83 84 84 82 78 73 73 73 76 86 86
16 to 30 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 9 8 8 9 11 13 14 11 11 6 7
31 to 60 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 5 5 4 5 6 8 9 8 7 3 4
1 hr 1 min to 3 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 4 2 2
3hr 1 min to 6 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
more than 6 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Average delay (UK and International) (minutes) [note19] 10 9 9 9 12 15 15 15 13 7 7
Table 8.8b: Punctuality of flights at Glasgow airport. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Matched (UK) 46,214 47,010 46,137 47,175 50,524 51,293 52,683 49,193 46,319 16,391 19,218
Unmatched - actual (UK) [note17] 118 88 70 77 132 16 6 14 5 13 0
Unmatched - planned (UK) [note18] 305 240 205 229 247 - - - - - -
early to 15 mins late (UK) (proportion) 85 85 84 83 77 77 77 75 78 84 85
16 to 30 mins late (UK) (proportion) 7 7 7 8 10 10 10 8 9 5 5
31 to 60 mins late (UK) (proportion) 4 4 5 5 7 7 7 7 6 3 4
1 hr 1 min to 3 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 6 5 3 3
3hrs 1 min to 6 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
more than 6 hrs late (UK) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Average delay (UK) (minutes) [note19] 9 9 10 10 14 14 14 14 12 7 8
Matched (UK and International) 69,507 71,637 71,901 73,396 79,618 83,691 88,246 83,312 77,535 24,838 26,310
Unmatched - actual (UK and International) [note17] 176 160 136 152 238 41 6 16 9 13 2
Unmatched - planned (UK and International) [note18] 393 297 252 262 314 - - - - - -
early to 15 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 83 83 83 82 76 75 75 75 77 85 85
16 to 30 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 8 8 8 9 11 11 12 10 10 5 6
31 to 60 mins late (UK and International) (proportion) 5 5 5 5 7 8 8 7 7 4 4
1 hr 1 min to 3 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 4 4 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 3 3
3hr 1 min to 6 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
more than 6 hrs late (UK and International) (proportion) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Average delay (UK and International) (minutes) [note19] 11 11 11 11 14 14 14 14 13 8 8
Table 8.9: Aircraft movements, by airport and type of movement, 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country Air Transport Positioning Flights Local movements Total commercial movements Test and Training Other flights by air transport operators Aero Club Private Official Millitary Business Total non-commercial movements Total [note 21]
Aberdeen 51,030 3,341 182 54,553 3,056 2,653 2,412 - 11 111 190 8,433 62,986
Barra 1,064 2 - 1,066 10 - - 59 - 12 - 81 1,147
Benbecula 2,591 220 6 2,817 - 6 - 56 - 52 - 114 2,931
Campbeltown 808 116 - 924 - - - 155 - 14 1 170 1,094
Dundee 1,125 189 247 1,561 1,453 109 19,811 400 2 50 570 22,395 23,956
Edinburgh 39,557 1,135 4 40,696 348 15 - 2,496 3 116 - 2,978 43,674
Glasgow 28,713 889 114 29,716 745 3,729 4,688 1 156 324 354 9,997 39,713
Glasgow Prestwick 2,100 591 - 2,691 2,076 - 6,121 2,119 - 4,119 - 14,435 17,126
Inverness 9,350 2,617 501 12,468 1,145 66 9,843 1,062 - 89 594 12,799 25,267
Islay 1,292 230 - 1,522 6 - - 761 - 75 - 842 2,364
Kirkwall 9,419 661 2 10,082 330 282 7 406 - - 7 1,032 11,114
Lerwick (Tingwall) 888 209 - 1,097 - - - 78 - - - 78 1,175
Scatsta - - - - - - - - - - - 0 0
Stornoway 5,225 203 283 5,711 675 - - 260 - 163 - 1,098 6,809
Sumburgh 12,444 1,253 340 14,037 793 1,755 - 82 - 32 - 2,662 16,699
Tiree 1,307 6 6 1,319 2 4 - 155 - - - 161 1,480
Wick John O'Groats 299 933 - 1,232 725 173 6 622 - 74 6 1,606 2,838
Total 167,212 12,595 1,685 181,492 11,364 8,792 42,888 8,712 172 5,231 1,722 78,881 260,373
Table 8.10: Air transport movements by airport, type of service and operator, 2021. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country UK operators (scheduled) Overseas operators (scheduled) Total (scheduled) UK operators (charter) Overseas operators (charter) Total (charter) Air taxi movements Total [note 21]
Aberdeen 12,541 3,985 16,526 30,796 89 30,885 4,545 51,956
Barra 1,247 - 1,247 - - - 3 1,250
Benbecula 1,641 - 1,641 4 - 4 1,019 2,664
Campbeltown 917 - 917 - - - 110 1,027
Dundee 950 - 950 32 13 45 152 1,147
Edinburgh 23,733 15,390 39,123 262 72 334 465 39,922
Glasgow 22,680 4,401 27,081 434 137 571 1,784 29,436
Glasgow Prestwick - 1,813 1,813 149 88 237 43 2,093
Inverness 5,114 274 5,388 455 5 460 3,545 9,393
Islay 1,258 - 1,258 - - 0 236 1,494
Kirkwall 8,238 - 8,238 208 - 208 1,416 9,862
Lerwick (Tingwall) 729 - 729 - - - 159 888
Scatsta     -     0   0
Stornoway 3,215 - 3,215 12 1 13 2,083 5,311
Sumburgh 3,332 - 3,332 6,013 1 6,014 1,132 10,478
Tiree 1,264 - 1,264 - - - 127 1,391
Wick John O'Groats 2 - 2 - - 0 295 297
Total 86,861 25,863 112,724 38,365 406 38,771 17,114 168,609
Table 8.11: Air transport movements by airport. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Aberdeen 99,452 104,227 106,755 112,537 106,755 86,735 85,727 84,674 83,614 50,575 51,956
Barra 1,183 1,319 881 888 881 1,322 1,397 1,392 1,367 1,049 1,250
Benbecula 3,912 3,958 3,286 3,013 3,286 3,194 3,211 3,369 3,245 2,252 2,664
Campbeltown 1,133 1,105 1,123 1,150 1,123 1,135 1,173 1,221 1,193 1,108 1,027
Dundee 3,033 2,872 1,543 1,407 1,543 1,651 1,392 1,429 1,436 820 1,147
Edinburgh 108,708 106,958 106,748 103,388 106,748 117,293 123,628 126,179 127,975 44,100 39,922
Glasgow 72,377 74,615 75,585 77,447 75,585 90,734 91,155 88,326 81,393 27,749 29,436
Glasgow Prestwick 10,017 8,166 8,623 6,659 8,623 4,698 5,076 4,869 4,637 2,006 2,093
Inverness 15,097 14,814 14,425 13,886 14,425 15,258 16,415 15,980 16,296 7,325 9,393
Islay 2,004 1,817 1,739 1,730 1,739 1,774 2,067 2,004 2,268 1,382 1,494
Kirkwall 12,599 12,400 12,951 12,935 12,951 12,927 13,488 13,335 12,819 8,821 9,862
Lerwick (Tingwall) 1,817 1,783 1,748 1,583 1,748 1,802 1,389 1,270 1,214 822 888
Scatsta 13,199 13,915 13,338 12,503 13,338 7,468 7,780 8,081 4,820 1,695 -
Stornoway 9,190 9,367 8,644 8,358 8,644 8,426 9,033 8,959 7,902 4,676 5,311
Sumburgh 9,156 10,963 13,606 14,677 13,606 17,534 16,881 11,627 13,795 7,581 10,478
Tiree 1,019 1,121 1,111 1,138 1,111 1,854 1,925 1,905 1,713 1,147 1,391
Unst - - - - - - - - - - -
Wick John O'Groats 2,416 2,660 4,276 2,885 4,276 2,147 2,119 1,944 1,799 549 297
Total [note 21] 366,312 372,060 376,382 376,184 376,382 375,952 383,856 376,564 367,486 163,657 168,609
Table 8.12: Total aircraft movements, by airport. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Aberdeen 108,862 115,013 118,219 124,282 118,219 96,156 97,007 91,279 91,248 59,250 62,986
Barra 1,258 1,403 966 988 966 1,345 1,412 1,439 1,389 970 1,147
Benbecula 4,366 4,478 3,708 3,504 3,708 3,648 3,420 3,650 3,484 2,367 2,931
Campbeltown 1,993 1,527 1,596 1,628 1,596 1,452 1,410 1,887 1,823 1,032 1,094
Dundee 36,815 40,926 40,427 35,730 40,427 36,730 38,096 39,965 43,354 19,011 23,956
Edinburgh 113,357 110,288 111,736 109,545 111,736 122,220 128,675 130,016 131,617 45,966 43,674
Glasgow 78,111 80,472 79,520 84,000 79,520 98,127 102,766 97,157 91,812 34,715 39,713
Glasgow Prestwick 28,546 25,670 24,305 25,643 24,305 25,714 24,897 24,904 24,463 14,085 17,126
Inverness 30,755 31,764 28,947 28,495 28,947 30,450 31,002 29,690 31,338 19,610 25,267
Islay 3,003 2,969 2,637 2,610 2,637 2,540 2,637 2,751 3,199 1,833 2,364
Kirkwall 14,131 13,980 14,403 14,420 14,403 14,539 14,754 14,771 14,247 9,498 11,114
Lerwick (Tingwall) 1,926 1,924 2,084 2,169 2,084 2,426 1,795 1,547 1,461 1,054 1,175
Scatsta 14,475 15,587 14,668 13,778 14,668 7,894 8,224 8,513 4,989 1,595 -
Stornoway 11,255 11,564 11,049 10,909 11,049 10,600 10,924 10,570 9,444 5,662 6,809
Sumburgh 12,228 14,045 16,771 18,171 16,771 21,129 22,347 16,628 18,056 10,839 16,699
Tiree 1,111 1,224 1,247 1,295 1,247 1,937 1,903 1,855 1,800 1,170 1,480
Unst - - - - - - - - - - -
Wick John O'Groats 4,734 5,474 7,787 5,711 7,787 4,427 3,827 4,058 4,064 3,022 2,838
Total [note21] 466,926 478,308 480,070 482,878 480,070 481,334 495,096 480,680 477,788 231,679 260,373
Table 8.13: Freight carried, by airport, tonnes. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Country 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Aberdeen 5,311 6,166 7,102 6,278 6,545 5,731 5,870 5,706 5,986 5,434 6,279
Barra [note23] 29 27 26 21 19 15 15 14 13 12 6
Benbecula [note23] 466 475 457 310 313 339 346 366 390 375 544
Campbeltown [note23] 1 - 1 - - - - - - - -
Dundee - - - - - - - - - - -
Edinburgh [note22] 19,332 19,115 18,624 19,369 19,322 20,369 20,659 20,316 19,410 17,322 18,815
Glasgow [note22] 2,430 9,497 11,837 15,411 13,193 12,952 15,935 15,466 12,822 6,601 5,436
Glasgow Prestwick 11,846 10,314 9,526 12,540 11,242 10,822 11,393 13,003 13,054 12,049 16,209
Inverness [note23] 1,833 2,601 2,524 2,507 2,507 2,584 2,536 2,827 2,946 3,191 3,726
Islay [note23] 287 284 273 276 288 303 308 347 364 397 231
Kirkwall [note23] 132 97 103 107 94 97 246 1,054 1,101 1,104 1,250
Lerwick (Tingwall) - - - - - - - - - - -
Scatsta 808 873 849 788 702 456 490 449 275 - -
Stornoway [note23] 1,659 1,704 1,752 1,200 1,173 1,153 1,271 1,330 1,294 1,364 1,523
Sumburgh [note23] 979 990 1,095 1,018 998 1,005 1,150 1,381 1,199 1,113 1,270
Tiree [note23] 49 57 55 52 44 53 44 50 60 52 55
Unst - - - - - - - - - - -
Wick John O'Groats [note23] 1 - 1 1 1 1 - - - - -
Total [note21] 45,162 52,200 54,225 59,878 56,441 55,880 60,263 62,308 58,914 49,013 55,343
Table 8.14: Characteristics of terminal passengers at selected airports, column percentages, 2018. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Airport Aberdeen Edinburgh Glasgow Inverness
International business passengers, UK residents 6.9 3.3 2.2 1.8
International business passengers, non-UK residents 6.2 2.8 2.0 1.2
International leisure passengers, UK residents 16.5 33.3 39.3 3.2
International leisure passengers, non-UK residents 4.9 22.8 12.3 5.0
Domestic business passengers, UK residents 30.6 14.6 17.4 25.7
Domestic business passengers, non-UK residents 3.6 0.8 0.4 0.9
Domestic leisure passengers, UK residents 27.8 18.1 22.7 54.9
Domestic leisure passengers, non-UK residents 3.4 4.4 3.5 7.4
Business passengers, all services 47 22 22 30
Leisure passengers, all services 53 79 78 71
UK residents, all services 82 69 82 86
Non-UK residents, all services 18 31 18 15
Total 100 100 100 100
Table 8.15: Mode of surface transport used to arrive at the airport, row percentages. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Airport, year Bus or coach Rail Total bus and rail Private car Hire car Taxi / minicab Total car and taxi Other modes Total all modes [note24]
Aberdeen, 1975 13 0 13 50 7 28 85 3 101
Aberdeen, 1982 9 0 9 50 8 30 88 3 100
Aberdeen, 1990 6 0 6 49 8 36 93 1 100
Aberdeen, 1996 5 0 5 55 7 32 94 1 100
Aberdeen, 2001 4.7 0.0 4.7 49.2 5.2 38.8 93.2 2.1 100
Aberdeen, 2005 6.2 0.0 6.2 49.5 6.1 36.9 92.5 1.3 100
Aberdeen, 2009 5.7 3.3 9.0 48.1 3.9 36.6 88.6 2.4 100
Aberdeen, 2013 9.0 3.5 12.5 43.6 4.0 38.4 85.9 1.6 100
Aberdeen, 2018 11.9 0.0 11.9 44.8 4.2 12.5 61.4 26.6 100
Edinburgh, 1970 24 0 24 54 6 13 73 3 100
Edinburgh, 1975 22 0 22 55 8 14 77 1 100
Edinburgh, 1982 9 0 9 61 10 19 90 2 101
Edinburgh, 1990 7 0 7 56 10 25 91 1 99
Edinburgh, 1996 9 0 9 53 10 28 91 0 100
Edinburgh, 2001 18.4 0.0 18.4 46.8 6.3 28.1 81.2 0.4 100
Edinburgh, 2005 19.3 0.0 19.3 48.6 5.8 25.7 80.1 0.6 100
Edinburgh, 2009 26.9 2.6 29.5 43.2 5.3 21.3 69.9 0.6 100
Edinburgh, 2013 9.2 3.8 13.0 38.5 1.0 21.8 61.3 25.7 100
Edinburgh, 2018 7.2 5.1 12.3 30.2 3.7 18.6 52.5 35.2 100
Glasgow, 1970 24 0 24 54 4 16 74 2 100
Glasgow, 1975 16 0 16 60 4 19 83 1 100
Glasgow, 1982 8 0 8 70 4 17 91 1 100
Glasgow, 1990 8 0 8 62 7 22 91 2 101
Glasgow, 1996 7 0 7 61 7 23 91 1 99
Glasgow, 2001 8.3 0.0 8.3 60.1 4.9 26.0 91.0 0.7 100
Glasgow, 2005 10.7 0.0 10.7 57.6 4.4 26.4 88.4 0.9 100
Glasgow, 2009 11.6 3.1 14.7 51.6 4.0 27.0 82.5 2.8 100
Glasgow, 2013 14.1 4.2 18.3 50.4 0.7 25.7 76.7 5.0 100
Glasgow, 2018 11.4 2.4 13.8 49.0 2.9 29.3 81.2 4.9 100
Glasgow Prestwick, 2005 3.6 20.8 24.4 57.2 12.5 5.2 74.9 0.7 100
Glasgow Prestwick, 2009 11.0 26.7 37.7 44.8 5.5 9.8 60.2 2.1 100
Inverness, 1990 7 0 7 62 15 15 92 1 100
Inverness, 1996 6 0 6 57 17 17 91 3 100
Inverness, 2001 4.0 0.0 4.0 56.3 17.1 20.8 94.2 1.8 100
Inverness, 2005 4.9 0.0 4.9 60.5 17.9 14.4 92.8 2.3 100
Inverness, 2009 9.1 2.2 11.4 55.6 18.3 12.5 86.4 2.3 100
Inverness, 2013 17.1 3.3 20.4 49.6 8.5 11.8 69.9 9.7 100
Inverness, 2018 10.7 3.0 13.7 46.8 25.4 4.9 77.1 9.2 100
Table 8.16: Origins/destinations of terminating passengers at selected airports, thousands, 2018. Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Not National Statistics
Airport Aberdeen Edinburgh Glasgow Inverness Total
Borders 1 292 12 - 304
Central 4 748 368 - 1,120
Dumfries & Galloway 0 36 90 - 127
Fife 16 1,126 104 - 1,246
Grampian 2,161 223 137 165 2,686
Highlands & Islands 89 165 147 703 1,105
Lothian 13 9,116 274 - 9,403
Strathclyde 31 1,102 7,620 1 8,753
Tayside 73 1,074 296 0 1,443
Total all Scottish areas 2,388 13,883 9,048 870 26,189
England & Wales 43 167 63 0 274
All passengers [note25] 2,431 14,051 9,110 870 26,462

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