EDINBURGH Airport has called for a “robust testing regime” to help rebuild travel and tourism as summer passenger numbers fell by 91% due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 785,000 people passed through the airport between April and September, down from 8.4 million in 2019.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult time for all of us and the scale of the recovery challenge that faces us is now really hitting home.

"These figures highlight the huge impact Covid-19 has had and continues to have, something that is being felt across the travel and tourism industries and the economy as a whole.

“Scotland’s recovery will be protracted and tough, and the aviation industry will face similar challenges to ensure it can reconnect the country to the world. There are still many unknowns which make that difficult to chart.”

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Earlier this year the airport confirmed it had lost a third of its workforce as passenger numbers remained low.

Bosses now say they are speaking with the Scottish Government on the topic of testing and the possibility of a pilot scheme to evaluate risk mitigation and protection of public health.

Dewar added: “We have spent years building growth in our passengers, routes and infrastructure, so to see all of that fall back is a concerning position for us to be in. Losing valued friends and colleagues has been difficult for us and we still face an uncertain future as we continue to grapple with this awful virus.

“Our own recovery will be difficult – we do not expect to break even until 2021 and we face tough choices to ensure we protect as many jobs as we can, and that will always be our main focus.

"Our business plans have been in a constant state of flux due to circumstances worsening, the introduction of and constant changes to quarantine, and of course all of this feeds into passenger confidence.

"We need to see a robust testing regime which will protect public health, provide reassurance and see travel and tourism begin to rebuild.”