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1st December 2009

Johnstone Concerned at Aberdeen Passenger Fall

North East Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone has expressed concern over the possible implications for the Deeside tourism industry as newly released statistics show that passenger numbers at Aberdeen airport have fallen by 5.3% in the last year.

Mr Johnstone said "This is a worrying statistic when we compare this with Edinburgh airport which saw a rise for the sixth consecutive month.  The most recent figure is an increase of 3.8%."

"Looking closely at the circumstances surround the difference between the two airports, it is clear that Edinburgh is beneffitting from new, low cost scheduled European routes."

"Given the fact that the exchange rate continues to make travel to the UK from the Eurozone an attractive proposition, I am concerned that the North East could be losing out in valuable tourism income.  I will be calling on Airport owners BAA, to work harder to promote Aberdeen airport to the budget airlines, so that the North East gets its fair share of visitors."

Mr Johnstone continued "On Deeside, occupancy figures for guest houses, B&B's and campsites are up, and visitor attraction figures are also up by 3.4%.  This is very welcome news indeed, but we cannot be complacent, and it is imperative that we do everything possible to maximise the potential of our tourism product, especially as the EU continues to emerge from the global recession."