THE Emirates Airlines route to Dubai, which celebrates ten years has been a tremendous success and a coup for Glasgow to have secured it.

It is an example of the business that was brought to the city with help from the Route Development Fund, with government assistance before the rules were changed by the European Union.

The service has grown and attracted passengers, showing that when an airline puts its faith in Glasgow the airport is able to deliver and build on the service.

Many Glasgow passengers take the flight to Dubai, one of the world's biggest hub airports and then on to further afield destinations like the far east and Australia, without having to go to London airports.

Connections to longer haul destinations is a huge talking point in aviation with the contest for the additional runway in the south east of England taking place.

What the success of Emirates shows is Glasgow doesn't need to rely solely on Heathrow for connections and other hubs are available like Istanbul, Paris and Amsterdam.

But it does need support in route development in some form and needs reform or abolition of the punitive Air Passenger Duty which everyone but the chancellor seems to recognises is damaging.