Edinburgh Airport has published its 2022 passenger traffic statistics, showing a strong recovery compared with both the previous year and its busiest year on record, which was 2019.

A total of 11,261,873 people travelled through the airport in 2022, up from 3,031,140 in 2021.

In 2019, the busiest ever year for a Scottish airport, Edinburgh Airport recorded 14.7 million passengers.

Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon Dewar said: “We are encouraged by the ongoing recovery in passenger numbers in 2022, which we hope in turn reflects more economic activity across the country, as inbound visitors to Scotland provide a much-needed shot in the arm for our tourism and hospitality industries.

“There is little doubt that people want to travel – both from Scotland for holidays or business opportunities or those international tourists coming to experience the best of Scotland’s visitor attractions and beautiful places and landmarks.

“The important challenge for us, in partnership with the city, the Scottish Government and others, is to facilitate growth in a responsible way and in a way that protects the vast number of high-quality jobs that airports provide, both directly and indirectly through airlines, handling agents among others, and the supply chain that supports us all.”

The figures are published as a Scottish academic explores how Edinburgh Airport can shape a more prosperous Scottish economy, moving towards net zero, and how Scotland’s airports can provide sustainable growth by working more closely with the cities and wider areas they serve.

Professor Duncan Maclennan is looking at Edinburgh Airport’s broader role in civic Scotland, comparing and contrasting with international cities like Sydney and Toronto.

The airport hopes Professor Maclennan’s report will start a national conversation in Scotland about the role of aviation in building stronger international trade connections.