ABERDEEN International Airport achieved a 4.6 per cent year-on-year rebound in international passenger numbers last month, on a like-for-like basis.

And its domestic passenger numbers last month were up by two per cent on February 2016 on the same basis. Helicopter traffic was down 9.9 per cent year-on-year in February, amid a challenging oil and gas sector backdrop.

Aberdeen said it handled nearly 213,000 passengers last month, up by one per cent on February 2016. It noted February last year had included an extra day because of the leap year.

Carol Benzie, the airport’s managing director, said: “Clearly, the outlook for the north-east remains challenging...The outlook is perhaps not quite as stark as it was 12 months ago.”

Glasgow Airport said its February passenger numbers totalled 603,288, up by 7.7 per cent year-on-year. This rise was fuelled by a 20.3 per cent year-on-year leap in international passenger numbers to 284,159.

Managing director Amanda McMillan hailed a “strong start to the year”.

Glasgow Airport said destinations such as Paris, Dusseldorf, Brussels, Barcelona and Bucharest had all proved “extremely popular”. It noted long-haul passenger numbers in February had been up 6.6 per cent on a year earlier, citing strong demand for Emirates’ Dubai route.

Domestic passenger numbers in February, at 319,129, were down 1.4 per cent on a year earlier.