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Airport extension takes off as 1st phase unveiled
 
Passengers praised the changes which will see the third phase start this month Pictures: Marc Turner
Passengers praised the changes which will see the third phase start this month Pictures: Marc Turner
 
David Gordon was first
David Gordon was first
 
The area opened today is part of a £31m extension
The area opened today is part of a £31m extension
 

by Sarah Swain

THE first phase of a £31million extension to Glasgow Airport's terminal opened to passengers today.

A major new ground floor arrivals hall for UK domestic flights was the first part of the project to be unveiled.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Derek Mackay greeted the first arriving domestic passengers through the new terminal extension, arriving from Belfast at 7.20am.

A bar and restaurant was also opened and other retail outlets will open soon in the new sky hub terminal.

The second phase of the development, a £12m security area, will come into operation next week, replacing the three existing search areas.

From next Tuesday all departing passengers will be routed through the central search area on the terminal's first floor.

The first passenger to arrive in a gleaming new arrivals hall was David Gordon, 30, from Belfast.

The procurement manager who travels to Glasgow every week on business was greeted by airport officials and Councillor Mackay who presented him with a bottle of champagne.

He said: "It's beautiful. I think a facelift for the airport is long overdue for such a big city. Glasgow needs an airport to match this cosmopolitan city."

Another passenger from the first flight to arrive from Belfast, Marguerite Gibney, 41, from Belfast said: "It's bigger, brighter than before and the new pub is very nice."

Passengers using Terminal 2 at the airport will also benefit as they will not have to go outside to get to their check-in area.

Roy McCubbin 46, from Carluke, who was flying to Paris, said: "It's great to be able to stay within the airport terminal to get to T2."

Russ Harris, 43, was waiting for a customer to arrive for a meeting.

He said: "It's a lot more welcoming, a lot less cluttered and it feels fresh. It's also more secure for the baggage area as before there weren't any doors there."

Derek Mackay, leader of Renfrewshire Council said: "The last time I was here I was cutting the soil.

"The airport is a key part of the west of Scotland economy. It's fantastic to see it developing in this way.

"I hope it symbolises a very bright future for the airport."

Managing director of Glasgow airport Amanda McMillan said: "The airport has been growing and this is a natural progression.

"It gives us a great new space for arriving passengers and gives us all the opportunity to meet and greet and move more freely through the building.

"I think it's fantastic. It's crisp, clean and airy. It's just a different class and when we open the new security area next week that will be the icing on the cake."

The project represents the biggest single investment in Glasgow Airport since the expansion of the early 1990s.

The extension features a revolutionary cladding system which converts energy from the sun, reducing the need for artificial heating and lighting.

A third phase, due to start this month, will see the existing terminal upgraded and refurbished to provide additional seating, new fashion stores and catering facilities.

Publication date 21/10/08

Posted by: KB, Glasgow on 11:10am Tue 21 Oct 08
"It's bigger, brighter than before and the new pub is very nice."

Says it all....welcome to Glasgow.
Posted by: Brad on 11:16am Tue 21 Oct 08
Well, shouldn't be too churlish about any improvement. Bit of tarting up for the sale...
Posted by: jim, Glasgow on 11:33am Tue 21 Oct 08
roll on the sale
Posted by: Harry, Glasgow on 12:03pm Tue 21 Oct 08
so the first passenger got a bottle of champagne... if it was more than a miniature the security folk probably confiscated it.
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 12:03pm Tue 21 Oct 08
jim wrote:
roll on the sale
Not really, Jim... the shareholders, and the owners (Spanish-based FERROVIAL) will be the only ones to benefit from any sale. You can bet when it is sold, the ground rent for the reatil units will increase, landing charges wil rise, ground-handling costs will increase, and somebody has to pay for all of this... YOU, ME, and EVERY OTHER MUG!!
Posted by: lundw01, Swindon on 12:42pm Tue 21 Oct 08
So we will have a brand new spanking security area to queue in!
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 12:48pm Tue 21 Oct 08
lundw01 wrote:
So we will have a brand new spanking security area to queue in!
I thought you just got searched, and your bags x-rayed in the security area.. I'm all for making flying a pleasurable experience for passengers, but I draw the line at masochism!!
Posted by: doug, glasgow on 12:55pm Tue 21 Oct 08
lundw01 wrote:
So we will have a brand new spanking security area to queue in!
there wouldnt be queue's is our fellow passenger do what they are ment to do when they go thru security.
I travel a fair few times a year and its always the same some muppet standing saying "I thought I could take my 1L bottle of idiot juice"
Posted by: doug, glasgow on 12:58pm Tue 21 Oct 08
jim wrote:
roll on the sale
Yeah so the airport gets sold off no money is spent on it, security is out sourced to reliance prob(and we have seen what a good job they do at £6 per hour) and the place becomes a feeder airport for amsterdam or manchester yeah great.
any way why does every one think glasgow could be sold edinburgh is not geting a train station and they have diched plans to buy the show ground? what does that say
Posted by: Stewie Griffin, Glasgow on 1:08pm Tue 21 Oct 08
No point extending it if you can't fly from it. If you want a flight at a decent hour to a popular destination, Glasgow Airport isn't the place to fly from.
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 2:09pm Tue 21 Oct 08
Stewie Griffin wrote:
No point extending it if you can't fly from it. If you want a flight at a decent hour to a popular destination, Glasgow Airport isn't the place to fly from.
That's because Glasgow International is a "holiday" airport, i.e. charters to spain, etc. Perhaps if the airport management team were to liaise with the local Chambers of commerce in the West of Scotland to establish exactly who and what goes where, then they could make the airport more attractive from a business perspective. This might mean a swing away from charter traffic to freight, or even business travel, similar to that of Heathrow (but on a lesser scale, obviously). But seeing as Glasgow has become one large call centre, there is little outbound or inbound traffic available, so it's back to square one, I'm afraid!!
Posted by: D.W., Glasgow on 2:38pm Tue 21 Oct 08
To call Glasgow "one large call centre" is something of a pessimistic exaggeration. There is sufficient business traffic to and from this city to ensure that a properly managed local airport would thrive.

However, BAA aren't interested in making Glasgow airport more attractive from a business perspective, or any other perspective. Several years ago they decided to prioritise Edinburgh as their hub, and set landing charges at both airports accordingly to ensure Edinburgh would be substantially more attractive to airlines.

Despite the Skyhub investment, Glasgow will continue to play the poor relation until BAA is forced to sell one of the two airports. With almost all of their eggs in the Edinburgh basket, it will be Glasgow that goes - and that will be no bad thing if the new owner is even slightly interested in running a competitive airport.
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 2:52pm Tue 21 Oct 08
D.W. wrote:
To call Glasgow "one large call centre" is something of a pessimistic exaggeration. There is sufficient business traffic to and from this city to ensure that a properly managed local airport would thrive. However, BAA aren't interested in making Glasgow airport more attractive from a business perspective, or any other perspective. Several years ago they decided to prioritise Edinburgh as their hub, and set landing charges at both airports accordingly to ensure Edinburgh would be substantially more attractive to airlines. Despite the Skyhub investment, Glasgow will continue to play the poor relation until BAA is forced to sell one of the two airports. With almost all of their eggs in the Edinburgh basket, it will be Glasgow that goes - and that will be no bad thing if the new owner is even slightly interested in running a competitive airport.
Point taken re the call centre remark, but I used to work for TNT Skypak (now TNT Express Worldwide) at Edinburgh airport. At that time, they had a daily flight from their (then) Cologne (CGN) hub via Birmingham, to Prestwick. The volume of freight received for SCOTLAND was broken down thus: Glasgow area: typically a transit-sized van, usually only half-full / Aberdeen: generally small parts for the oil industry, sent on the overnight trunk from their Bellshill depot / Edinburgh area: at least 1 LWB high-top Merc Sprinter (sub-contracted to TUMAX of Ayrshire). Reason why EDI got the bulk of the freight?.. Hi-tech companies in Livingston, Haddington (the old Mitsubishi factory), Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Dundee, etc.. When Glasgow and the West of Scotland can attact similar levels of manufacturing industry, then you will see a swing away from "holiday" traffic.. Not before!!
Posted by: D.W., Glasgow on 3:18pm Tue 21 Oct 08
I've got no reason to dispute the details of what you say, but I would argue that Glasgow and the West of Scotland has traditionally been the hub of the country's heavy manufacturing industry. The hi-tech companies were established more evenly, with the New Towns getting a decent slice of the pie.

On a related note, I'm led to believe that the only thing booming these days at Glasgow Airport is the freight handling business.
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 3:41pm Tue 21 Oct 08
DEEDUB - that's Glasgow's problem these days.. NO HEAVY INDUSTRY LEFT!!
Posted by: The Missing City, Glasgow on 4:09pm Tue 21 Oct 08
steven976 wrote:
DEEDUB - that's Glasgow's problem these days.. NO HEAVY INDUSTRY LEFT!!
Yip, in its place we have Heavy Smack!

Jokes aside, well done to Glasgow Airport - a significant indicator that the airport is continuing to succeed.

With the addition of T2 and the GARL in a couple of years, more traffic will only mean further success.

having read the City Council's recent Economic Review, there is the need for the Crossrail development which (as featured in the report) will connect even more people with the airport, just like the way it is in other major countries with major airports.

Why should Glasgow be any different in that respect?
Posted by: Ian on 4:23pm Tue 21 Oct 08
steven976 wrote:
D.W. wrote: To call Glasgow "one large call centre" is something of a pessimistic exaggeration. There is sufficient business traffic to and from this city to ensure that a properly managed local airport would thrive. However, BAA aren't interested in making Glasgow airport more attractive from a business perspective, or any other perspective. Several years ago they decided to prioritise Edinburgh as their hub, and set landing charges at both airports accordingly to ensure Edinburgh would be substantially more attractive to airlines. Despite the Skyhub investment, Glasgow will continue to play the poor relation until BAA is forced to sell one of the two airports. With almost all of their eggs in the Edinburgh basket, it will be Glasgow that goes - and that will be no bad thing if the new owner is even slightly interested in running a competitive airport.
Point taken re the call centre remark, but I used to work for TNT Skypak (now TNT Express Worldwide) at Edinburgh airport. At that time, they had a daily flight from their (then) Cologne (CGN) hub via Birmingham, to Prestwick. The volume of freight received for SCOTLAND was broken down thus: Glasgow area: typically a transit-sized van, usually only half-full / Aberdeen: generally small parts for the oil industry, sent on the overnight trunk from their Bellshill depot / Edinburgh area: at least 1 LWB high-top Merc Sprinter (sub-contracted to TUMAX of Ayrshire). Reason why EDI got the bulk of the freight?.. Hi-tech companies in Livingston, Haddington (the old Mitsubishi factory), Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Dundee, etc.. When Glasgow and the West of Scotland can attact similar levels of manufacturing industry, then you will see a swing away from "holiday" traffic.. Not before!!
I've no reason to doubt your big full van heading to Edinburgh. However, it is all relevant to how the specific manufacturing company chooses to source their materials from. One thing you are mistaken about is the fact that there are more manu jobs in the east of the country - entirely untrue, Glasgow and the West hold far and away the most manu jobs in the country, even with the heavy industry decline.
Posted by: steven976, Feltham, Middx on 4:48pm Tue 21 Oct 08
Ian wrote:
steven976 wrote:
D.W. wrote: To call Glasgow "one large call centre" is something of a pessimistic exaggeration. There is sufficient business traffic to and from this city to ensure that a properly managed local airport would thrive. However, BAA aren't interested in making Glasgow airport more attractive from a business perspective, or any other perspective. Several years ago they decided to prioritise Edinburgh as their hub, and set landing charges at both airports accordingly to ensure Edinburgh would be substantially more attractive to airlines. Despite the Skyhub investment, Glasgow will continue to play the poor relation until BAA is forced to sell one of the two airports. With almost all of their eggs in the Edinburgh basket, it will be Glasgow that goes - and that will be no bad thing if the new owner is even slightly interested in running a competitive airport.
Point taken re the call centre remark, but I used to work for TNT Skypak (now TNT Express Worldwide) at Edinburgh airport. At that time, they had a daily flight from their (then) Cologne (CGN) hub via Birmingham, to Prestwick. The volume of freight received for SCOTLAND was broken down thus: Glasgow area: typically a transit-sized van, usually only half-full / Aberdeen: generally small parts for the oil industry, sent on the overnight trunk from their Bellshill depot / Edinburgh area: at least 1 LWB high-top Merc Sprinter (sub-contracted to TUMAX of Ayrshire). Reason why EDI got the bulk of the freight?.. Hi-tech companies in Livingston, Haddington (the old Mitsubishi factory), Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Dundee, etc.. When Glasgow and the West of Scotland can attact similar levels of manufacturing industry, then you will see a swing away from "holiday" traffic.. Not before!!
I've no reason to doubt your big full van heading to Edinburgh. However, it is all relevant to how the specific manufacturing company chooses to source their materials from. One thing you are mistaken about is the fact that there are more manu jobs in the east of the country - entirely untrue, Glasgow and the West hold far and away the most manu jobs in the country, even with the heavy industry decline.
Maybe the west does have more manuf jobs, but what is their market? Local?? Scotland-wide?.. UK based?? European?? Or Worldwide?? Therein lies your answer!!
Posted by: jrb, glasgow on 6:17pm Tue 21 Oct 08
has the posts been pulled on the glasgow shops story??..
Posted by: The Missing City, Glasgow on 6:33pm Tue 21 Oct 08
jrb wrote:
has the posts been pulled on the glasgow shops story??..
Yes it appears to be the case Jaaayaaarbee

Tragic time for us all - no more humour for this evening - shame - it was going well, even replied to your post as well regarding the 25,000 word report with analysis on Syd and Meep.

If you caught it, I hope you didnay pea yerself hee hee

C Ya mate!

Posted by: jrb, glasgow on 7:00pm Tue 21 Oct 08
The Missing City wrote:
jrb wrote: has the posts been pulled on the glasgow shops story??..
Yes it appears to be the case Jaaayaaarbee Tragic time for us all - no more humour for this evening - shame - it was going well, even replied to your post as well regarding the 25,000 word report with analysis on Syd and Meep. If you caught it, I hope you didnay pea yerself hee hee C Ya mate!
No I'm afraid I missed it,I Didn't think there was any content of the posting which could have caused offence on this particular issue,perhaps Sam the online editor could enlighten us!..
Posted by: The Missing City, Glasgow on 7:09pm Tue 21 Oct 08
jrb wrote:
The Missing City wrote:
jrb wrote: has the posts been pulled on the glasgow shops story??..
Yes it appears to be the case Jaaayaaarbee Tragic time for us all - no more humour for this evening - shame - it was going well, even replied to your post as well regarding the 25,000 word report with analysis on Syd and Meep. If you caught it, I hope you didnay pea yerself hee hee C Ya mate!
No I'm afraid I missed it,I Didn't think there was any content of the posting which could have caused offence on this particular issue,perhaps Sam the online editor could enlighten us!..
I think he might have been taking his period!
Posted by: jim, Glasgow on 11:16am Wed 22 Oct 08
steven976 wrote:
jim wrote: roll on the sale
Not really, Jim... the shareholders, and the owners (Spanish-based FERROVIAL) will be the only ones to benefit from any sale. You can bet when it is sold, the ground rent for the reatil units will increase, landing charges wil rise, ground-handling costs will increase, and somebody has to pay for all of this... YOU, ME, and EVERY OTHER MUG!!
bring it on dont be scared of change.thats what hold britain oops sorry england back.
Posted by: jim, Glasgow on 11:19am Wed 22 Oct 08
call centre remark ,green eyed monsta me thinks,Glasgow pulls more conferences than any other city in scotland for biz,fact,
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