TOURISTS were given a royal welcome at Aberdeen Airport as the Duchess of Cornwall opened an extension to its main terminal.
Camilla was piped into the airport and met firefighters and staff before touring a new passenger lounge and arrivals facility on Wednesday.
In the luggage reclaim area she stopped to talk to Sandra and Wade Nelson as they collected their bags from a holiday flight from the US.
Mrs Nelson said: “I know it’s friendly here but I wasn’t expecting that.
“I was brought up in Canada and the royals are followed pretty closely.
“She was lovely. It’s something to tell our friends when we go home.”
Camilla, also known as the Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, also unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the extension.
She said: “This is a beautiful part of the world and I might be a bit biased but I’d say it’s my favourite airport.
“The service is always fantastic for my family and friends.
“It’s an enormous pleasure to be here and congratulations on all the hard work.”
Aberdeen International Airport first announced plans for a large-scale transformation project in 2014 and construction of the new extension began in 2016.
The extension has added almost 50% more space to the terminal building and the opening marks the completion of the first phase of work which will be fully completed in 2019.
Managing director Carol Benzie thanked the Duchess for her visit and said: “This project has been more than three years in the making and it’s just the start of work to transform the airport.”
Camilla also met staff involved in the building project and was entertained by a dancing robot that greets passengers as they arrive in the terminal.
The airport is currently home to 20 airlines serving 50 destinations around the world.
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