aviation - the past, present and future of flight

I

ncreased passenger numbers, more

airlines, better infrastructure and... soft-

toy tags have all played a part in helping

put the  zz back into Glasgow Airport.

A long slide in users has been arrested

through the implementation of a master

plan created in 2011. So far, the results

have been positive. A change of ownership

to AGS Airports in 2014, after Heathrow

Airport Holdings (formerly BAA) chose to

sell Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton

airports, caused negligible deviation from

the plan. Commercial Director François

Bourienne joined the airport in 2010 and was

involved in the creation of the 2011 master

plan.

Bourienne said: “We started by

totally redoing the international arrivals

and revamping the check-in for the

Commonwealth Games [held in Glasgow in

2014]. It was driven by customer experience

and capacity issues. International arrivals

was too small and the work [improved those].”

An extension to the eastern pier followed,

increasing boarding capacity. Bourienne

explained: “We had some remote stands

not far away, so by extending the pier, we

managed to bring those into contact. That

was important because it was at the time that

we welcomed Ryanair and it matched their

expectations in terms of operations.” More

remote stands, where aircraft can be parked

during traffic peaks in July, were added. The

two-year project cost about £8m.

TARGET

Next on the agenda is the security hall,

where capacity will be improved by 20%.

“We currently have ten lanes and we’ll go to

GLASGOW

AIRPORT

A SCOTTISH SUCCESS

60 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2018

Glasgow Airport has undergone a renaissance during

this decade. Bernie Baldwin learns about the initiatives

that have created an award-winning operation.

60-64_glasgowDC.mf.indd 60 01/12/2017 15:29