Edinburgh Airport has topped off another record-breaking year with over 10 million passengers travelling through its terminal in 2014.

Last year Edinburgh saw more passengers than any other Scottish airport, marking a 4% increase on 2013’s passenger figures.

A total of 10,174,684 people flew in and out of Scotland’s busiest airport over the last 12 months making last year the second consecutive record-breaking year for the capital’s transport hub. The airport passed the historic 10m mark on the 23rd December.

Last year’s growth stemmed from significant increases in long-haul traffic, up 89.6% on 2013 thanks to the introduction of Qatar Airways new service to Doha, new US routes to Chicago with United Airlines and Philadelphia with US Airways and an increase in frequency from Air Canada Rouge. Total domestic traffic was also up 3% on 2013 with a number of new and increased services to London airports, with new flights to Stansted with Ryanair and London City with FlyBE which starting in October.

December’s passenger numbers rose by 7.2% with a total of 691,922 people travelling. Just over 380,000 domestic passengers travelled through Edinburgh Airport in December, an increase of 9.3% on the previous year. International passenger numbers also rose by 4.7% to 308,729 people travelling to popular European destinations like Amsterdam, Paris and Lisbon.

The increase in last month’s passenger numbers is thanks to a 13% rise in London traffic, bringing the total increase in domestic traffic to 9.3%.

Speaking about the milestone, Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “To exceed our 10 million passenger mark is a fantastic achievement. We couldn’t have done this without the hard work and dedication of all our teams and partners in the airport and across the city. It’s truly been a team effort and is a collective celebration for Team Edinburgh and the wider Team Scotland.

“Last year we achieved what we set out to do – to offer our passengers choice, a great experience and to cement Edinburgh Airport as the place where Scotland meets the world.

“We welcomed new airlines and retail partners and opened our brand new terminal extension and security hall, all with the passenger firmly at the centre of our operations.

“2014 has been an unprecedented year for Scotland as a whole and we’re proud to have played our part in its success.

“2015 will present its own exciting challenges and projects. It’s a time to focus on what new opportunities we can grasp. We want to harness the successes of the last year and use this to drive our performance over the next 12 months. For us, that means more routes, more investment in our services and welcoming more passengers.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moving average total recorded on 31 December was 10,174,684.
More information from:

Stuart Young, Communications Officer

07730 148022 or stuart_young@edinburghairport.com

About Edinburgh Airport:

Edinburgh Airport is Scotland’s busiest airport. More than 40 airlines serve 100-plus destinations and 10.2 million passengers passed through the airport in 2014 – the busiest year ever for a Scottish airport.

July 2014 was the airport’s busiest month ever with over 1.1 million passengers travelling through its terminal.

It is the 6th largest in the UK, in terms of passenger numbers, and employs over 5000 people, contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to Scotland’s economy.

Edinburgh Airport was named best in Britain, and top three in Europe, for passenger satisfaction, at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards for 2012 and ‘Best European Airport (5-10m passengers)’ at the ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards for 2012. It has also won Scottish Airport of the Year at the Scottish Transport Awards in 2013 and 2014.

edinburghairport.com

Edinburgh law firm Gillespie Macandrew has announced the appointment of two new Associates.

Fiona Cameron has been promoted to Associate within the Litigation & Dispute Resolution team. In her new position Fiona will maintain a broad commercial litigation practice but, increasingly, will be focusing on employment law and property litigation.

In the employment sphere she will continue to advise both employee and employer clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contention matters including restructures, TUPE, unfair dismissal, discrimination, stress at work, health & safety and settlement agreements.

Fiona’s involvement in property litigation will see her continue to work on Scottish Land Court actions, while building further her involvement in non-contentious matters through her support of the firm’s rural and commercial property clients.  Her experience to date includes advising on appeals, repossession (for private and commercial clients), servitude and boundary disputes, judicial review of planning decisions and agricultural law and subsidy.

Fiona hopes to continue in her roles as a Law Society of Scotland mentor and co-chair of the Young Mediators’ Group.

Amy McDowell has been promoted to Associate within the Commercial Property department. In this role she will continue to develop her experience in both renewable energy and strategic land developments.

As a member of Gillespie Macandrew’s award winning energy, climate change and natural resources team Amy will assist clients with multiple renewable energy projects, mainly focusing on onshore wind and hydro across Scotland, including an increasing number of developments on land subject to crofting rights.

Working as a member of the strategic land development team she is currently involved in multiple large scale residential and mixed use developments and will be taking an increasing lead on such projects.

In addition, Amy will continue in her roles as member of the firm’s CSR Committee and Social Committee.

Ian Turnbull, Managing Partner of Gillespie Macandrew, comments:

“We are delighted to appoint Amy and Fiona as Associates. Both joined us as trainees, in 2009 and 2010 respectively, and became fully qualified solicitors and valued members of their respective teams. We work hard at Gillespie Macandrew to provide good development opportunities for our people and it is always particularly pleasing to watch quality individuals progress their careers with us.”

 

 

Fiona Cameron, Associate

Amy McDowell, Associate

Homelessness charity Edinburgh Cyrenians has announced the appointment of Ian Grimwade as Head of Business Development, a newly created senior role in the charity.

Ian joins the charity after three and a half years as Head of New Business Development at Edinburgh Leisure, having joined Edinburgh Leisure in 2010 as Head of Golf. Prior to seven years working in the golf business in the UK and the USA, Ian had thirteen years of experience in the software industry. He is also a board member of the Scottish Disabled Golf Partnership.

Ewan Aitken, chief executive of Edinburgh Cyrenians, says: “Ian Grimwade’s appointment as our Head of Business Development is another step in Cyrenians’ exciting journey of service and hope. We know we are in tough times and so we need the strongest possible team to face the challenges of austerity politics head on. Ian brings a wealth of global and local business experience and insight and a deep commitment to our values and mission. I know he will make a huge contribution to our ability to better walk alongside and serve those most excluded from family, home, work or community.”

The creation of this new post is part of Cyrenians’ strategy to face austerity measures head on rather than battening down the hatches. Cyrenians recognise that in order to continue their work they need to increase the income they receive from outside the public sector, and to develop collaboration between the third, private and public sectors. In particular they aim to develop their social enterprises and their ability to generate an income stream that is longer term and more within their control than income received from the public sector.

Ian says of his appointment: “I am excited about the opportunity to be part of the leadership team that will deliver growth for Cyrenians over the next few years, while staying true to the Cyrenians vision of a more inclusive society. My broad commercial background will allow me to help the team assess the viability of new initiatives for Cyrenians, and seek to maximise return from current operations. My third sector experience provides me with the ability to complete balanced analyses of opportunities looking at both commercial and social impact. I look forward to learning more about the tremendous impact that Cyrenians has on those who are on the edge of society, and sharing that with a wider audience.”

Thanks to Heart of Midlothian FC’s new audio visual partner, Richer Sounds, guests in our hospitality suites can now enjoy big-screen.

On behalf of Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation and Skillls Development Scotland we would like to extend a warm invitation to attend one of a series of free training events in Low Carbon Leadership for SME’s being held over the next few months.

I am delighted to announce our first free training event will be held on Tuesday 20 January (0930-1300) on Mobility and the title of this event is: Business Opportunities in Low emission and Electric Vehicle Taxi Services. This event is aimed at business owners, fleet managers and finance managers and those who want to explore whether to use low carbon emission vehicles and understand what is involved in the transitional process from fuel to electric.

Could you forward this invitation to other relevant individuals or groups.

To book your free place, please see the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-opportunities-in-low-emission-and-electric-vehicle-taxi-services-free-event-tickets-14941522496

We look forward to welcoming you and meeting you at one of our events in the future.

60 school pupils from across East Lothian gathered at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, on Friday 9th January 2015, as part of the first Children’s University graduation ceremony to be held in the east of Scotland.

The junior scholars were dressed head to toe in traditional gowns and mortar boards.  Family, friends, teachers and supporters were welcomed to the ceremony to help celebrate the children’s achievements.

The East Lothian schools that took part in the Queen Margaret Children’s University graduation were Pencaitland Primary, Yester Primary, Ross High School, Sanderson’s Wynd Primary and Stoneyhill Primary.

QMU is the first higher education institution in the east of Scotland to host the Children’s University, which aims to help school children, aged between seven and 14 years of age (and five and six year olds with their families), become confident learners and broaden their horizons.

The initiative strives to raise children’s aspirations, encourages them to learn in different ways, and rewards them for taking part in a wide variety of learning activities outside of school hours.  The Children’s University ethos is clearly aligned with the aims of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence in terms of helping children become successful and confident learners, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

QMU has taken the lead in establishing the Children’s University in the east of Scotland by initially working in partnership with schools via East and Midlothian Councils.

The children build up credits the more they engage in learning activities.  They can also work towards bronze, silver and gold certificates.  The more the children engage in learning activities, the more credits they build up.

Over 1,400 pupils from across East Lothian and Midlothian have signed up to the Queen Margaret Children’s University scheme in 2014.  One hundred of these pupils have already achieved a minimum 30 hours of learning activities outside of school hours, including dancing, painting, cheer-leading, modern languages and gardening.  Each child was presented with a special certificate at the Queen Margaret Children’s University graduation ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by Fiona McLeod – Acting Minister for Children and Young People;  Mary De la Peña MBE, Chief Executive of Children’s University Scotland; Professor Petra Wend, Principal of QMU; Alan Gilloran, Deputy Principal of QMU and Callum Maguire, Head of Outreach & Community Engagement at QMU and Coordinator of the Queen Margaret Children’s University.

Commenting on the first Queen Margaret Children’s University graduation, Callum Maguire, said: “After nine months of hard work, we’re really excited to have now staged the first QMU Children’s University graduation ceremony and celebrated the pupils’ achievements.  This valuable initiative is already helping to encourage young children across East Lothian and Midlothian to get involved in different methods of learning, whilst boosting their achievement.

“We’ve always believed that children need a range of different opportunities and that not all learning needs to be school focused. The Children’s University offers a different approach and encourages children to foster a love of learning. It also creates a unique way of recognising and rewarding individuals for learning and getting involved in new things. It’s an inspirational way of engaging with the younger members of our communities and will hopefully motivate them to continue being active learners as they move through their teenage years.”

Mary De la Peña MBE , Chief Executive of Children’s University Scotland, explained how the initiative works. She said: “We provide an accreditation framework which rewards children for learning outside of normal school hours. Children can gain credits by taking part in a whole range of fun, interactive activities which can be school based or in the community – from drama to hip-hop dancing or from cooking to sports. Each child will get a ‘Passport to Learning’ which helps record their participation in activities.

“The most important aspect of the Children’s University is that it’s a voluntary experience”, said Mary De la Peña.  “Children work towards building their credits in their own time which means that their success, as part of the university experience, is a more personal achievement. Above all, it should be fun!”

Professor Petra Wend, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, said: “Queen Margaret University is fully committed to widening access and supporting learning in the community. Our involvement with the Children’s University allows us to help develop and provide opportunities for young people from wide ranging backgrounds. We look forward to implementing the scheme in many more of our primary and secondary schools in East and Midlothian.”

Acting Minister for Children and Young People Fiona McLeod said:‪  “A graduation ceremony is always a time for celebration and all of the graduates from this inaugural ceremony deserve huge credit for the work they have put in. This is an impressive milestone not just for Queen Margaret University but for the five schools involved so far.

“From meeting the pupils who have participated and their teachers, parents and even some grandparents, it is clear the learning opportunities being delivered through the Children’s Universities are engaging young people in new and innovative ways. The Scottish Government is proud to support this as one of several means to improve attainment prospects in schools across Scotland, which is why we recently committed £90,000 to widen access to Children’s Universities to an additional 2,600 young people by the end of 2015-16.”‪

Children’s University Scotland is supported by the ScottishPower Foundation and Brodies law firm.

A new film about the Queen Margaret Children’s University, including the first graduation, is now available to view online: http://youtu.be/Qr_bHaHTYKA

For more information about the Queen Margaret Children’s University, contact Callum Maguire, Head of Outreach & Community Engagement at Queen Margaret University and Coordinator of the Queen Margaret Children’s University on

T: 0131 474 0000 or E: CMaguire@qmu.ac.uk

Beginning their 30^th anniversary year, founder and sole Director of Edinburgh-based family business Mercat Tours, Des Brogan, has announced his retirement.   Having led Mercat Tours Ltd and Mercat Tours International to become the multi award-winning market leader in guided tours, his daughter Kathleen Brogan will succeed him as Managing Director.

Together with the change in leadership, Mercat Tours has also received external accreditation of their training programme.  This acknowledges the comprehensive in-house training and exceptional visitor experience delivered by their people.

Edinburgh Napier University assessed the rigorous  visitor focussed training all Mercat guides receive on recruitment and, in accordance with national SCQF criteria, accredited the programme Postgraduate Certificate in Tour Guiding and Interpretation (Level 10).

Des Brogan, speaking on the development which confirms Mercat staff as the only guides with accreditation externally verified by a University in Scotland:

“Mercat has grown from humble beginnings to become renowned for quality, guide-led tours. I’m particularly proud to have our guide’s talent and dedication formally recognised, due Kathleen’s vision and hard work on this project, as I defer to her leadership.”

Kathleen Brogan assumes the role with long association and experience of the businesses having been Mercat International Guide since 2005 and Head of Business Development since 2007.

The accreditation is the latest, valued development for Mercat following a successful year which has seen the company’s commitment to quality acknowledged with a record 91% VisitScotland Quality Assurance grading, National Scottish Thistle Award, Scottish Business in the Community SME of the Year and GTBS GOLD re-awarded for sustainable practise.

Round 6 in the European Challenge Cup is shaping up to be massive for Edinburgh Rugby as they play for a place in the quarter finals and will go all out for that coveted home advantage.  It’s all to play for as the French team will be looking for revenge after Edinburgh Rugby ground out a great win away from home back in October at the start of their European journey.

For more information please visit the link below:

http://www.edinburghrugby.org/match-report/edinburgh-rugby-vs-bordeaux-b%C3%A8gles-fri-23012015-1945

The Met Office has issued amber warnings for parts of the Central Belt and south east Scotland, the Highlands, parts of Aberdeenshire, and the Western Isles and Orkney.

Gusts of 90mph – and more than 100mph in the most exposed areas – are likely, with the potential of structural damage. Very large waves may also lead to dangerous conditions along some coasts from tonight and tomorrow morning.

It is inevitable that such the severe winds and forecast heavy rain will impact on travel, ferry services and road bridges as well as rail where, for example, infrastructure can be affected by fallen debris including trees on tracks and damage to equipment such as overhead electric power lines and signals.

Following discussions with Network Rail, which is responsible for the infrastructure, it has been decided – as a safety precaution – that a limited number of services will be suspended tomorrow on several routes until about 16.00 as these routes are expected to bear the brunt of hurricane force winds or high tides. The routes are:

• Inverness-Kyle/Thurso/Wick/Aberdeen
• Kilwinning-Ardrossan/Largs
• Dumbarton Central-Helensburgh Central
• Glasgow Queen Street-Oban/Fort William/Mallaig

Tonight’s 19.50 Fort William to Edinburgh and tomorrow morning’s 04.50 Edinburgh to Fort William Caledonian Sleeper services will not run.

Once it is safe to do so, Network Rail and ScotRail will work as quickly as possible to restore all services from late afternoon following inspection of the rail lines for damage.

We are letting people know as soon as possible so that they can consider alternative travel options, and are also recommending that people check our website.

More information is posted at www.scotrail.co.uk and there are also alerts via social media. Our message is: check your journey before setting off, and keep checking.

A further update will be provided on Friday, with more severe weather forecast for Saturday.