Work on a £40 million refurbishment project is to be given a start shortly at Edinburgh Airport. The project would see an extension to the main departure lounge of the facility, which the airport said would enhance passenger comfort.

Scotland"s busiest airport has recently reported that it witnessed an 11.5 percent increase in international traffic this year. The airport has recently completed a multi-million pound project to resurface its runway, on budget well ahead of the schedule proposed earlier. The airport said that the resurfacing project involved workers laying about 25,000 tonnes of asphalt. The project commenced in April 2008 involving a total cost of £16 million.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport"s managing director, has stated that the forthcoming investment in the departure lounge "augers well for the future".

Talking about the prospects ahead of the facility, he remarked, "Despite these challenging times, I am confident that Edinburgh Airport will continue to make a significant, and growing, contribution to the economic success of Edinburgh and the east of Scotland.

At present, Edinburgh Airport offers flights to more than 110 destinations across the globe. Among the portfolio of its destinations, the airport has added about 25 new domestic and international routes during this year.