Highlands and Islands Airports Limited

Leading low fares airline Ryanair will handle its 50,000^th passenger at Inverness Airport tomorrow (Wednesday 13 June).

The airline launched flights to Liverpool in October 2006 and flights to Nottingham East Midlands in February this year. Both services operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Tomorrow’s inbound flight from Liverpool, scheduled to arrive at 10.10am, will carry the 50,000^th Ryanair passenger to use the Highland routes. The milestone will be marked with the lucky passenger receiving two return flights and accommodation for two nights in Inverness courtesy of the airline and airport.

Inverness is the most northerly UK airport that Ryanair flies to and its services are providing a major boost for inbound tourism in the Highlands.

Highlands and Islands Airports expect Ryanair’s Liverpool and Nottingham East Midlands services to contribute up to 100,000 passengers to the airport in the current 2007/08 operating year which is on target to be the airport’s busiest ever.

Inverness handled a record 700,000 passengers in the year ending March 2007 and has seen its passenger throughput double since 1999. The airport generates an annual economic output for the region of more than £130 million and air connections support more than 2,300 jobs in the area, 750 of which are based at the airport.

James Walton, Inverness Airport manager said: “We were delighted to gain Ryanair as a new airline customer last November and are pleased to see that the airline has handled its first 50,000 passengers on its Liverpool and Nottingham East Midlands routes to the Highlands.

“These services are important for inbound tourism – especially during the Year of Highland Culture – and for businesses based in our region to access two important UK regions by air. The services also provide people from the Highlands with a host of onward connections to mainland Europe with Ryanair from Liverpool and Nottingham.

“The success of the routes to date show that the airport and airlines continue to play a central role in the development of our region and we look forward to marking Ryanair’s 100,000^th passenger in due course,” said Mr Walton.