Air passenger numbers in Scotland climbed to a record high

Operator BAA Scotland said all three airports witnessed an increase, with Aberdeen showing the biggest rise of 9.5% to 2.95 million people.

Twenty seven new services were introduced including flights to Pakistan, Egypt and Switzerland.

BAA Scotland's Stephen Baxter said demand was at an "all-time high".

Glasgow remained Scotland's busiest airport, ending the year with 8.8 million passengers, equivalent to a rise of 2.4%.

This has been a year of rising passenger numbers, matched by rising investment in our airports Stephen Baxter BAA Scotland

Edinburgh Airport handled 8.5 million passengers, up 5.6% on the previous year.

International traffic rose by 8.7% on the previous 12 months.

Palma was Glasgow's busiest international destination, with Dubai the most popular long-haul spot.

Domestic traffic from the three airports grew by 2.2%.

Airport upgrades

BAA Scotland said the figures marked a renewed commitment to "connect Scotland to the rest of the world".

Mr Baxter said: "This has been a year of rising passenger numbers, matched by rising investment in our airports.

"With passenger demand at an all-time high, and set to grow further, BAA Scotland is working hard to deliver a world-class transport infrastructure."

The company said it invested more than �46m upgrading its three airports, including �11m on Edinburgh's new Air Traffic Control tower and �10m on a major expansion of Glasgow's international pier.