Airport is soaring

Mar 15 2013 by Kenneth Speirs, Paisley Daily Express

Glasgow Airport passenger numbers are soaring.

More than 423,000 people travelled through Glasgow Airport in February, representing year-on-year growth of 2.1 per cent.

Growth was driven by domestic services and the demand for travel to London in particular, while international traffic was in line with 2012, bosses said.

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “It is encouraging that our passenger numbers showed modest growth in February, which was largely due to the strength of our domestic services.

“February was a busy month in terms of route development, with Air Malta confirming it will introduce a new weekly service in May and the first Wizz Air flights to Gdansk and Warsaw have now been launched.

“We also unveiled details of an additional £10million of investment for 2013, on top of an already planned £7million, to improve our passenger-facing facilities ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

“We are now looking forward to the commencement of the busy summer schedule in April, as well as Lufthansa’s inaugural flight to Düsseldorf on Monday, April 8.”

Derek Mackay, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, congratulated Glasgow Airport on the new figures.

He said: “It is no surprise that Glasgow Airport is achieving these levels of sustained growth. Bosses are consistently working hard to provide better services and amenities for their passengers.

“With Glasgow Airport being the gateway of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, they are certainly putting all the effort in so that all the new international passengers will have a smooth experience from start to finish.

“Much was made of the legacy of the recent 2012 Olympic Games and I strongly feel that these improvements to Glasgow Airport will contribute to the lasting legacy of our 2014 Commonwealth Games.”

Meanwhile, British Airways has unveiled its new £800,000 Executive Club lounge at the airport.

The 452sq ft development can accommodate up to 150 customers - double the capacity of the previous lounge.

The investment reaffirms British Airways’ commitment to its Scottish customers, bosses said, and demonstrates the importance of the Glasgow operation within the airline’s global network.

The new executive lounge project is part of a £5billion investment programme being undertaken by the airline to improve services and comfort for customers both in the air and on the ground.