GLASGOW Airport is hoping 2014 will be a golden year for the hub.

Passengers numbers were up in January and today it's been revealed that the tally for February is also higher than it was last year.

February represented 13 consecutive months of growth after almost 450,000 passengers used the airport - 25,016 more than in the same month last year.

International traffic accounted for almost 13% of growth. Winter holiday flights to Europe as well as long haul journeys to a range of destinations, including America and Dubai, generated almost 155,000 travellers - nearly 20,000 more than in February, 2013.

Demand for long haul flights was especially strong last month, which also saw airlines such as Jet2.com, Icelandair and KLM all adding extra capacity.

Domestic business was also good. More than 274,000 passengers flew in and out of Glasgow to other UK airports - 5454 more than a year ago.

The 2% growth was particularly boosted by strong demand for flights to London, although the new CityJet service to Cardiff also proved to be popular.

Airport managing director Amanda McMillan said: "It is very pleasing to have continued our positive start to 2014 which promises to be a very exciting year.

"We are looking forward to the launch of Citywing's new service to the Isle of Man and in April we will become the first Scottish airport to welcome the A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft, when Emirates will operate a one-off service to mark 10 years of serving Scotland."

She added: "April will signal the start of our busy summer schedule and passengers will notice a great deal of work in the terminal as we continue to invest in new and improved facilities.

"The Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup are just two of the high-profile events coming to Glasgow and Scotland this year and we are ensuring we will be ready to play our part."

February also saw Glasgow make history when it became the first UK airport to receive an internationally recognised certificate for service and quality.

Airport chiefs say the Airport Council International's Airport Service Quality Assured Certification is a seal of approval for Glasgow's facilities and services being provided for passengers at a time when a consortium wants to buy the hub.

February was also the 13th month in a row when the airport has seen a rise in passenger numbers.

Figures tumbled in January, 2013, when freezing fog and snow grounded flights across the UK.

gordon.thomson@eveningtimes.co.uk