Fall in numbers at Sumburgh

THERE has been a small drop in passenger numbers at Sumburgh Airport in the past 12 months, new figures from Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) show.

For the second quarter of 2015 a total of 77,954 passengers passed through the terminal, down 882 on the corresponding period in 2014.

HIAL said it put the 1.1 per cent decline down to a drop in energy-related activity following a tumble in the price of oil.

Its managing director Inglis Lyon said: “After a period of sustained double digit growth, we are beginning to see some levelling of activity from the energy sector at Sumburgh.

“This is a natural consequence of the well-documented problems facing the sector. Nevertheless, we are working hard to ensure there is a strong mix of scheduled and charter traffic at Sumburgh to offset the drop in energy-related activity.”