THE number of passengers using Highlands and Islands airports plummeted by more than three-quarters over the past year, figures show.

The data emerged as Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) said it had spent £1.2 million on extra Covid-safe measures, including self-service check-ins, as some domestic flights resume.

The group comprises 11 airports, including Inverness, Stornoway, Campbeltown, Kirkwall, Dundee and Islay.

Inverness Airport, the largest in the group, saw passenger numbers fall 88% year-on-year, from 916,669 to just 110,406. Sumburgh Airport in Shetland, which serves the oil and gas sector, was least affected but still saw a 47% reduction in passenger numbers, down from 307,906 to 162,553.

The average drop in passenger numbers across all 11 airports was 77%, the figures show, down from 1,682,245 to 392,682.

The latest figures cover 2020-21, running from April 1 to March 31.

Hial managing director Inglis Lyon said: “The pandemic has underlined the crucial role Hial’s airports continue to play in maintaining connectivity for our communities in this remote part of Scotland.”