Prestwick Airport passenger numbers increase

Airliner Ryanair has 12 routes going out of Prestwick Airport

The number of passengers flying out of Prestwick Airport has increased for the second month running.

Some 197,198 people took flights from the Ayrshire airport in July. Freight business also increased slightly, the latest figures have revealed.

However, last month's passenger numbers are down on July 2009's total of 191,940.

Chief commercial officer, Graeme Sweenie, said he was encouraged by the rise "at a challenging time".

He added that the key driver was the successful partnership with airliner Ryanair which runs 12 routes of out Prestwick, including Alicante Ibiza, and Tenerife.

However, Mr Sweenie said: "A number of factors including the government's air passenger duty, resulting in Ryanair cutting winter capacity, will have a significant impact on our business, but we are optimistic about the long term future of the airport."