Edinburgh Airport warned on Friday it is facing the potential of three months of “zero or close to zero passenger demand” due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “There is no denying that the coronavirus situation is having an immediate and direct impact on our business and many others across Scotland and the rest of the world.

“As an airport we are facing an unprecedented situation, looking at the potential of three months of zero or close to zero passenger demand.

“We have spent the last few weeks looking at how we deal with the immediate and longer term effects and unfortunately that means taking some extremely tough decisions as the industry continues to react.

“This is not an easy process for anyone involved and it is one we wish we did not have to consider.

“We will do all we can to protect our people who are at the heart of the airport and we will continue to communicate changes to our staff and will work with them to ensure the airport continues to operate as effectively as possible.”

A total of 14,747,830 people travelled through Edinburgh Airport last year, making 2019 the busiest in the airport’s history and the busiest ever year for a Scottish airport. 

Edinburgh Airport is owned by New York-based owner Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which has recently explored a sale for as much as £2 billion, according to reports.

GIP bought the airport from BAA for £807 million in 2012.