Glasgow | FHR News Archive

EasyJet launches new route from Glasgow

Low-fares airline easyJet has launched an inaugural flight from Glasgow Airport to Faro in Portugal.

The carrier offered the first connection in the twice-weekly service on April 22nd.

Frequency will increase to three flights a week during the peak summer holiday period between June 26th and August 28th.
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Scottish travellers offered new route to Egypt

Scottish low-cost airline flyglobespan has announced the first of its flights for winter 2008, a connection between Glasgow Airport and Hurghada in Egypt.

One flight a week will be available to the Egyptian holiday hotspot from November 5th.

The Hurghada service will be available alongside flyglobespan's existing flights from Edinburgh Airport to Sharm el Sheikh, which launched last winter.
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Glasgow Airport celebrates skyhub milestone

Glasgow Airport held a ceremony last week to mark the latest milestone in its 'skyhub' extension.

Staff from construction firm Balfour Beatty joined representatives from the airport and Renfrewshire Council on April 3rd to hold a 'topping out' ceremony, a traditional celebration to recognise the completion of the project's physical structure.

Airport managing director Gordon Dewar smoothed the last section of concrete and led a toast to the workers.
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Glasgow introduces new parking plan

BAA Glasgow has introduced a new £2 million plan for its airport parking and drop-off arrangements.

A free, covered pick-up and drop-off zone will be created opposite the main terminal as part of an ongoing initiative to improve passenger access following last year's failed terrorist attack.

Motorists collecting and dropping off passengers will be able to wait for free for ten minutes.
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Glasgow to get new flights to island hotspots

A travel company is to launch a number of new flights from Glasgow Airport to popular holiday locations throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.

Teleticket will fly from the Scottish airport to Heraklion, the capital of Crete, and the Greek island of Rhodes between May 21st and October 22nd, the Glasgow Evening Times reports.

These will not be the end of the new offerings from Glasgow Airport, however, as Teleticket will offer two flights, on October 9th and 12th, to Arrecife on Lanzarote.
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BAA 'to invest millions' in Glasgow Airport

Glasgow Airport is set to undergo a year of development as a result of substantial investment by operating company BAA, reports claim.

BAA is planning a 50 per cent increase in capital investment this year, bringing the total level of financing to £25 million, according to Travel Daily News.

Some of the improvements will lead to enhanced comfort and convenience for Glasgow Airport passengers, including additional seating, security improvements, new flooring and better lighting.
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Glasgow to invest £500k in drop-off zone

Glasgow Airport has announced plans to plough £500,000 of investment into its passenger drop-off facilities.

The drop-off zone will be widened to increase capacity, new shelters will be installed along St Andrew's Drive and a covered walkway will be built leading to the main terminal.

Improvements to facilities for disabled passengers are also being considered. Present arrangements allow blue-badge holders to pick up or drop off in car park two, opposite the terminal, with up to 30 minutes free access.
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Glasgow Airport keeping Scotland well connected

Improvements to Glasgow airport mean "Scotland is better connected than at any time in its history", it has been reported.

BAA Scotland chairman Stephen Baxter told the Herald newspaper that the transport hub's 40 new international flights on offer this year were just the start of the airport's growth and that access to foreign destinations was now much easier for Scottish passengers.

The newspaper reports that in the last year alone, Scotland's airports had seen a wealth of new services - with flights now running to Boston and Geneva from Glasgow, and Dortmund, Munich, Madrid and Milan from Edinburgh.
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Glasgow Skyhub development begins

Construction work has begun on a year-long project that will see an improved Glasgow Airport opening in October 2008.

Following half a year of enabling work, the £30 million Skyhub development of the Scottish airport is expected to undergo seven months of construction before opening to the public five months later.

Passengers travelling from Glasgow are expected to benefit from reduced security waiting times, increased capacity in the terminal and more comfort.
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Glasgow Airport's saviour to visit Ground Zero

The man who 'saved' Glasgow Airport from an attempted terrorist attack on June 30th is to join US firefighters and dignitaries at Ground Zero for the sixth anniversary of 9/11.

Baggage handler John Smeaton will visit the site of the September 11th attack where the World Trade Center used to stand, symbolically linking his heroism with the achievements of the men and women who battled to save lives after the attack six years ago.

Mr Smeaton was invited by the American Scottish Foundation, whose president Alan Bain commented that "our members are thrilled at the opportunity of meeting a modern Scottish hero".
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Seaplane to link Glasgow to islands, Highlands

The range of transportation options for travellers outbound from Glasgow is set to multiply as the city welcomes the first seaplane port located in a European city centre.
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Wet summer means busy airports

A wet summer in the UK, which has seen parts of the country devastated by some of the worst floods on record, has meant thousands have decided to head off for a bit of sunshine.

New figures from internet travel agent directline-holidays.co.uk reveal a staggering 150 per cent increase on summer holiday bookings in 2007, with the majority leaving from Gatwick and Heathrow.

The Association of British Travel Agents said: "Bookings in June and July compared to the same period last year are up by 40 per cent.
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Canine companions 'allowed in cabin'

Passengers who rely on guide dogs will now be allowed to take their canine companions with them on certain flights from Glasgow Airport.

In a new scheme, which marks a first for Scotland, those who have difficulty manoeuvring their way around the aircraft will now be able to rely on their dogs if they are flying to European destinations.

Named the Pet Travel Scheme, organisers say that the initiative will serve to give passengers "the freedom to fly and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their guide dog or assistance dog is safely by their side on board the aircraft cabin".
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More airports could see foreign currency ATMs

Holidaymakers may soon receive more choice in terms of where they purchase their foreign currency from, with cash machine network Link stating that more ATMs will offer the service.

At present, airports such as Gatwick and Glasgow Airport offer travellers the option of purchasing foreign money from ATMs and supermarket giant Tesco recently announced its intention to increase its foreign currency cash machine network from four to 20.

While in the airport lounge, travellers will find that they can access currency such as American dollars and euros before flying, meaning they have money with them before disembarking.
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BAA passenger numbers down for June

The recent terror scare at Glasgow Airport saw BAA's passenger numbers dip in June by 0.6 per cent compared to the same period last year.

In total, BAA's UK airports dealt with around 13.8 million flyers in the month, with European scheduled traffic up 0.8 per cent.

However, European charter traffic fell by 7.2 per cent for the month, along with domestic and Irish Republic traffic, which dropped by 3.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively.
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PM warns flyers over summer delays

New prime minister Gordon Brown has warned UK holidaymakers to prepare for delays at Britain's airports this summer following the recent terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport.

Mr Brown told BBC News that the travel problems would inevitably pose difficulties for UK travellers but insisted that safety was paramount.

"I think we saw in the last week the best of Britain, people coming together in the face of a terrorist threat and Britain showing to the rest of the world that we would be unyielding any time that anybody tries to do damage to our country," he commented.
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Question marks raised over Glasgow security

Question marks have been raised over security at Glasgow Airport after the terror attack last week.

Reports have revealed that there was a distinct lack of an armed police presence at the site when the main terminal was attacked.

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "Strathclyde Police always has a firearms capability ready and [the officers] were on mobile patrol. We only station armed officers at the airport when the national threat level is at critical."
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Glasgow Airport outer forecourt re-opens

Glasgow Airport today announced it will be re-opening its outer forecourt to public transport vehicles as it looks to resume "normal service" after last weekend's attack.

These include licensed airport taxis, flight-path shuttle buses, vehicles operated by Glasgow Taxis and emergency vehicles only, with all vehicles being subject to security checks.

Private vehicles are still being asked to use St Andrew's Drive to drop off passengers which is a short walk from the main terminal.

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Car parks open but restricted at Glasgow Airport

The terminals and car parks at Glasgow Airport are open as normal according to operator BAA.

However, restrictions are still in place following the attempted car bomb attack on the main terminal building on Saturday (June 30th).

BAA revealed that flight schedules are back to normal and that there were only two cancellations yesterday.
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Suspect package forces Heathrow evacuation

Flyers that were set to leave the UK from Heathrow Airport's Terminal Four were forced to evacuate the building yesterday (July 3rd), after a suspect package was discovered at the site.

Police acted after a bag was discovered shortly before 12:00 BST and thousands of travellers faced delays.

The terminal is now open again, although around 55 flights had to be cancelled due to the scare.
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Glasgow Airport 'back in business'

BAA has revealed that Glasgow Airport is "back in business" following the recent terrorist attack on the main terminal building.

The operator, which also runs Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport north of the border, was forced to cancel nine flights at Glasgow yesterday (July 2nd), but insisted that flights were now operating normally.

BAA also suggested that both Terminal 1 and 2 on the site were functioning regularly.
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Flyers urged to allow extra travelling time

UK holidaymakers are being urged to allow themselves extra time to get to the airport in the coming days, following the suspected terrorist on Glasgow Airport.

Airports up and down the country are implementing security measures which means traffic is likely to be delayed going into the sites.

Motorists at Manchester Airport have been told arrive at least 20 minutes earlier for their flights, according to the Bolton News.
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Glasgow Airport main terminal reopens after attack

The main terminal at Glasgow Airport has re-opened following the recent car bomb attack on the building.

An extensive clean-up operation has been carried out and BAA has confirmed that the terminal is open again, less than 24 hours after the flaming vehicle crashed into it.

All of the terminal's 39 check-in desks are fully operational and passengers are now being processed in Terminals 1 and 2.
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One year delay for airport rail link

The planned rail link servicing Glasgow Airport flyers has been delayed by another year, meaning the completion date is now 2011.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson revealed the delay when he outlined the government's rail and road priorities recently.

Many flyers rely on public transport to get to the airport and those travellers affected by the delay may wish to consider driving themselves and using airport parking as an alternative solution.
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Flyers eyeing up Russian alternative

A new online flight booking site called Alternative Airlines has revealed that bookings for domestic flights to Russia has soared recently.

The site specialises in providing services to routes that tend to be ignored by other travel providers and it has reported a greater percentage of interest in Russia of late than previously anticipated.

Alternative Airlines managing director John Pope suggested that Russian aviation was "booming", with more western built aircraft being used by Russian carriers.
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Bank holidays boost May figures for BAA

BAA has revealed its traffic figures for last month and the airport operator will be encouraged by the statistics.

In total, BAA's seven UK airports handled 12.8 million passengers in May, which represented an increase of 0.3 per cent compared to May 2006.

It was the company's three Scottish airports which enjoyed the best growth for the month, with traffic up at Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Stansted Airport by 3.7 per cent, 5.8 per cent and 9.9 per cent respectively.
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Road works planned near Glasgow Airport

Frequent Glasgow Airport flyers will be boosted by the news that Scotland's busiest section of motorway is set for a multi-million pound upgrade.

The £5 million project will get underway on the M8 to the west of the city on June 29th and will be completed by mid-August, as part of Transport Scotland's plans to improve the motorway network.

However, Glasgow Airport flyers are being warned that the road works could impact significantly on their journeys to the site.
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May proves to be a busy month for easyJet

Low-cost airline easyJet has revealed that passenger numbers were up last month, with the budget carrier reporting a 13.8 per cent gain in traffic.

The airline, which is based at Luton Airport, revealed that it carried 3.3 million passengers in May, compared with 2.9 million a year ago.

Revenue was also up by 15.2 per cent to £1.7 billion for the past 12 months ending in May.
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£30m Skyhub development for Glasgow

Glasgow Airport operator BAA has unveiled plans to develop a new multimillion pound 'skyhub' on the site.

The £30 million scheme will see the gap between the main terminal and the smaller second one filled, creating a single departure point for all flyers and reduce the security clearing areas from three down to one.

Passenger numbers will also be increased through the development, with an anticipated rise from the 8.8 million a year currently using the airport to the forecast figure of 24 million by 2030.

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Flyglobespan reveals new UK - Canada links

Low budget Scottish airline flyglobespan has announced new services from 13 UK and Ireland airports to three major Canadian cities.

Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport, Manchester Airport and Glasgow Airport will service Toronto's Hamilton Airport, with Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow also flying to Vancouver and Calgary.

Belfast International Airport, Birmingham Airport, Dublin International Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Liverpool Airport and Newcastle Airport will also offer weekly Toronto services.

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Glasgow News Archive