aviation - the past, present and future of flight

began a summer service from Halifax,

Canada.

Bourienne said: “They did that cleverly.

They had it in mind that if they started going

to London, they’d need to go big in terms of

scale. They weren’t totally sure as to whether

transatlantic was the right thing. That’s why

they picked Dublin–St John’s and Glasgow–

Halifax – doing it on more complementary

routes, and learning the tricks. Then they

went to London.”

Air Canada in 2016, plus Delta Air Lines

(both summer only) and Lufthansa in 2017

followed.

Bourienne added: “I would also underline

that British Airways and easyJet have been

here for a long time and they have both

treated us well.”

When bmi stopped  ying between

Glasgow and London Heathrow in 2011,

easyJet increased capacity on its London

routes and has since started many

international routes.

“They have increased the base  ying,

including upgauging some aircraft from A319s

to A320s. They have above two million

passengers a year, up about 20% from when

they started.”

Having acquired bmi, British Airways

naturally increased its GLA–LHR frequency.

“We get nine or ten  ights a day to Heathrow.

Also, BA CityFlyer increased quite a lot

between Glasgow and London City,”

Bourienne pointed out.

Cargo plays only a minor role at Glasgow

Airport, mainly through goods transported

in the belly of aircraft rather than dedicated

freighters. The stands are close to the

terminal meaning you would have landing

and unloading in the middle of aircraft

pushing back.

Business aviation services have grown,

mainly as a result of Gama Aviation moving

into a new hangar a few years ago. The other

handling agent at the airport in this market

segment is Signature Flight Support.

The airport is also home to the Scottish Air

Ambulance.

62 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2018

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