ADVERSE weather and suspended flights led to a decrease in passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport last month.

The Paisley-based terminal welcomed 579,888 jet-setters through the doors but that was three per cent fewer than in January last year.

EU-scheduled traffic was up by 4.7 per cent, thanks to the popularity of winter sun routes and an increase in capacity on city break destinations such as Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid and Lisbon.

But international traffic was down by 1.9 per cent, with airport bosses blaming bad weather and the suspension of United’s winter route to Newark, USA.

Domestic traffic was down by four per cent compared to last year, with the temporary suspension of Ryanair’s three-times daily Stansted service said to have had an impact.

Francois Bourienne, Glasgow Airport’s commercial director, said: “January is traditionally a quieter period for the airport, however, our passenger numbers were affected by adverse weather conditions which resulted in a number of flights being cancelled.

“The suspension of United’s winter service to Newark and Ryanair’s Stansted route were also contributing factors.

“January’s passenger numbers are a clear reminder we cannot take our air connections for granted as the airport continues to face stiff global competition when it comes to attracting new routes and maintaining existing ones.

“Route development will continue to be a key focus.”