Edinburgh Airport is predicting 140,000 passengers will pass through its terminals in "one of its busiest weekends of the year" by the end of this Easter break.
Gordon Robertson, Head of Communications at Edinburgh Airport, was expecting "an extremely busy day" today with over 31,000 fliers travelling, compared to the airport's daily average of around 24,600.
"Most people are going for short breaks, and of course we’ll be welcoming all those arriving here to spend their holiday in and around the Scottish capital,” said Robertson.
Palma, Malaga and Alicante are among the top destinations for those seeking to escape Scotland’s wintry weather for some spring sunshine.
Other top international destinations for Edinburgh passengers include: Amsterdam, Dublin, Paris, New York, Geneva, Madrid and Frankfurt.
Edinburgh Airport announced last month that Turkish Airlines is starting a new direct link to Istanbul. The route will offer connections with global destinations such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Delhi, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Narita and Osaka.
Following a dispute with Edinburgh Airport owner BAA, no-frills airline Ryanair announced in February that it will be cutting the number of routes it offers out of Edinburgh from 40 to 35.
In October last year, Spanish owner BAA announced that Edinburgh Airport is to be sold. The regulator, the Competition Commission, said BAA must sell one of its Scottish hubs and Edinburgh Airport was chosen.
Edinburgh Airport Easter Traffic
- Thursday, 5 April – 31,048
- Friday, 6 April – 28,672
- Saturday, 7 April – 23,148
- Sunday, 8 April – 26,698
- Monday, 10 April – 30,196