The airport operators for the Highlands and Islands have reported a 5% increase in passenger numbers.

The increase for the three months up to June came despite a 48-hour strike by security staff at the start of April.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) said they now expected airports like Inverness to have their busiest ever summer.

Much of the growth was at HIAL's Inverness hub which saw passenger numbers up by 12%.

A new weekly summer service to Zurich and strong demand for Dublin and Manchester flights also helped to boost numbers.

Earlier this year, additional car parking capacity had to be created at Inverness following complaints of overcrowding.

The group's airports at Benbecula, Islay, Stornoway, Wick and Campbeltown also reported increases.
But Barra, Dundee, Tiree and airports in Shetland and Orkney saw falls in passenger numbers.

source: BBC News