Glasgow Airport Blog

Jet2 arrives at Glasgow

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:42:40 BST

Glasgow Airport is enjoying its third consecutive month of growth, due in part to the arrival of Yorkshire-based airline, Jet2. The carrier has introduced routes from the Scottish hub to seven destinations, with an eighth due to begin operating later this year.

According to the Evening Times, a Scottish newspaper, the number of people choosing to fly from Glasgow Airport increased by 11,298 in March 2011, to 485,198 travellers. Demand for international flights climbed by 3.2%, while the popularity of domestic routes was up 2% over the figures for the same month last year. The news paints a defiant picture of Glasgow, which recently had to contend with the loss of a BMI route to Heathrow Airport in London. The cancellation, said airport boss, Amanda McMillan, was “offset” by the arrival of Jet2.

The budget carrier has begun flying from Glasgow to Alicante in Spain, Majorca in the Balearic Islands, Faro in Portugal, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Routes to Nice in France, Dalaman in Turkey, and Paphos in Cyprus have also been added by the silver and red airline, while a winter service to Geneva in Switzerland will start on December 23 2011.

Jet2’s director, Ian Doubtfire, referred to recent developments in Glasgow as “very exciting”. Mr. Doubtfire noted that the airline had spent two years planning for the expansion, and six months hiring 150 new employees, including pilots. The Yorkshire carrier has also begun preparations for a second expansion at Glasgow during 2012, which could create even more employment opportunities in the Scottish city.

Glasgow City Councillor, Gordon Matheson, was keen to attract foreign business to the region, saying “there are passengers from Nice who are flying to Glasgow for either a weekend break or business purposes. This is great for the economy and a great boost for the airport".

Jet2 expects 300,000 people to use the new Glasgow routes during summer 2011.

BMI is 'most punctual airline'

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:39:11 BST

BMI Regional is the most punctual scheduled airline in the UK, according to independent website, flightontime.info. The results mark the sixth time that Regional has retained the accolade, shrugging off competition from rival airlines, such as Ryanair, Air France, and British Airways (BA).

According to the airline’s website, BMI Regional offers 13 destinations from airports in Scotland and the North of England. The carrier wears the blue and white livery of British Midland International, and provides predominantly domestic services. BMI Regional is, therefore, very similar to BA CityFlyer, an airline that operates out of London City Airport. Both CityFlyer and BMI Regional favour Embraer jets, as opposed to the larger Boeing and Airbus planes operated by their parent companies.

During 2010, the average delay on a BMI Regional flight was 7.1 minutes, compared to 13.7 minutes with Ryanair, and an embarrassing 35.5 minutes with Leeds-based airline, Jet2. The most punctual carriers after Regional were Eastern Airways (average delay of 8.3 minutes), CityJet (8.8mins), VLM (8.9mins), and KLM (9.3mins). Wallowing in the doldrums, but above Jet2 in 35th place, were Monarch Scheduled (30.4mins), Virgin Atlantic (26.2mins), and Spanish carrier, Iberia (25.2mins). Overall, the larger airlines operating out of UK airports performed poorly against companies that could hardly be considered rivals, in terms of fleet size and passenger numbers.

BMI Regional’s penchant for promptness is not confined to its own aeroplanes, however. The carrier’s parent, British Midland International, was the most punctual airline at Heathrow Airport in 2010, according to Reuters, with almost 80% of flights experiencing little or no delays. Surprisingly, the results for both surveys included statistics from April and December 2010, months that were affected by the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull and heavy snowfall, respectively.

Supreme Court rules on BAA monopoly

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:16:44 GMT

The British Airports Authority’s (BAA) monopoly over UK aviation looks set to be broken, after the Supreme Court ruled that London Stansted and one of either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports must be sold to increase competition in the industry.

Nearly three years ago, the Competition Commission demanded that the BAA relinquish its hold on three of its British airports, citing a need to “kick-start” airport-to-airport rivalry. Christopher Clarke, head of the commission’s investigation into the BAA, said that there was “no competition at all” between UK hubs in March 2009. Nine months later, in December, the BAA-owned Gatwick Airport was sold to investment firm, Global Infrastructure Partners.

The BAA was suspicious. The aviation giant complained of “apparent bias” in the sale of the Crawley hub, given that a member of the Competition Commission, Peter Moizer, was involved with one of the BAA’s biggest rivals, Manchester Airports Group (MAG). The Competition Appeals Tribunal upheld the appeal, and any further sales were suspended.

In October 2010, the saga came full circle, when the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the Competition Commission, and overturned the BAA’s appeal of the previous year. The BAA remains adamant, however, that the circumstances that led to the order to sell in 2009 are no longer valid, citing the government’s refusal to consider any runway expansions in the southeast as a new variable in the case.

The Supreme Court refused to hear the BAA's latest plea in February 2011, consigning Stansted and one of the Scottish airports to the saleroom. The remaining BAA-owned hubs, Aberdeen, Southampton, and Heathrow, remain unaffected, but the news of the Supreme Court ruling will come as a blow to the company. The number of airports under direct BAA control could be reduced to four within the next few years, down from seven in 2009.

In the UK, the BAA’s biggest competitors are Peel Airports, with three hubs, including Liverpool John Lennon, and MAG, with four. MAG currently owns Manchester, East Midlands, Humberside, and Bournemouth airports.

Glasgow-Heathrow route in doubt

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:49:39 GMT

British Midland International (BMI) has announced that its five-time daily route between Glasgow Airport and Heathrow, London, could face the chop, prompting fears about the future of Scottish industry. The airline, which is based at Castle Donnington, says that rising passenger fees at Heathrow, equating to a £7 increase over last year, are partly responsible for the bleak forecast.

Whilst BMI has not said when the route will be axed, an educated guess would be late March or early April, when Heathrow introduces the £7 hike in the domestic passenger charge. The price increase, announced in December, was previously described by the airline as “unreasonably discriminating” against travellers, and an “outrage.” BMI intimated that Heathrow was placing high charges on domestic flights to pander to long-haul carriers, such as Emirates and British Airways (BA).

However, even if passenger fees were kept at their current rate of £13.43 after April 1, BMI would still lose upwards of £1m a month on its Glasgow-Heathrow flights. The airline referred to the route as “weaker,” but withheld any information that might explain why the connection was failing. Competition from BA is a likely culprit, as the two airlines operate the same route from Glasgow.

Stuart Patrick, of the Glasgow Chambers of Commerce, said that Heathrow’s links to international airports are the route’s main attraction, and the removal of the connection would leave Scots with “no choice” regarding their choice of airline. Stuart Patrick also noted that Heathrow’s capacity problems meant that there would be no free aircraft slots available for another airline to pick up the route. BA would be effectively invulnerable from competition at Glasgow.

Despite the doom and gloom, BMI says that “no decision” regarding underperforming routes has yet been made. Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, is hoping to capitalise on BMI’s hesitation by asking Westminster to help support the airline, or take steps to ensure that Glasgow does not become isolated from the UK’s busiest airport.

BAA coughs up £11m for Glasgow overhaul

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:13:58 GMT

The British Airports Authority (BAA) could find itself accused of favouritism this year, after the aviation giant announced a £11.2m redevelopment fund for Glasgow Airport, less than a month after the Abbotsinch hub struck a deal with US-based firm, Delaware North, to refurbish the airport’s food court.

Glasgow is the BAA’s fourth largest airport in the UK, after Heathrow, Stansted, and fellow Scot, Edinburgh, with annual traffic of 6-7m people. The hub’s main terminal, opened in 1966, retains a number of original features that have become a hindrance in recent years, rather than a quaint novelty. The BAA, says a press release on Glasgow’s website, is proposing a “major” overhaul of the Scottish airport, lasting up to five years, in a bid to modernise the forty-year-old facility.

The heating system, an essential part of huge lofty structures, is to be stripped out, and replaced with an energy-efficient “boiler plant,” costing £2.5m. Old lights and cracked flooring will be thrown out the terminal doors, seating will be replaced, and new retail outlets will be lured to the airport. A total of £4.5m will be spent on keeping travellers warm and illuminated while they wait for their flight.

On the airport’s ‘airside,’ preparations are being made to modify the taxiway. Glasgow has not mentioned what form the £2m upgrade will take, but it is likely that existing surfaces will be re-laid, possibly to accommodate heavier, ‘greener,’ aircraft. Runway approach lights, which assist inbound pilots, will be refurbished, whilst a number of aircraft stands will also receive makeovers, making loading and unloading faster.

Amanda McMillan, chief at Glasgow Airport, noted that the BAA’s multi-million pound investment would be spent on ensuring the “smooth, efficient operation” of airport business, and helping travellers to “relax” before their flight. However, it is likely that the BAA’s generosity is designed to bring Glasgow back ‘up to scratch.’ The airport lost around a million passengers during 2009/10, due to snow, volcanic ash, and the recession.

“We have continued to invest for the long term,” explained Amanda McMillan. “I am confident that we will see a return to growth in 2011.” Glasgow’s mission has been bolstered by the announcement of a “massive” expansion by Leeds-based carrier, Jet2, and extra flights from Icelandair and Thomas Cook, among others.

US firm to redesign Glasgow's food hall

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:38:31 GMT

Travellers passing through Glasgow Airport will soon be able to enjoy the delights of a homemade burger, after the Scottish hub announced a £1.5m redevelopment of its food court, due to be completed later this year.

The redesign, which will add a total of four new cafés and restaurants, is being handled by the UK arm of Delaware North Companies, an American hospitality firm.

Delaware North, despite being relatively unknown outside the catering world, is a supplier of food services to a number of large sports stadiums, including Pride Park in Derby, the Emirates Stadium in London and the cornerstone of English football, Wembley Stadium. Perhaps of greater relevance is that Delaware North also operates food outlets at Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh airports, three of the largest hubs in the UK.

When complete, Glasgow’s newest development will be located on two levels, the ground and first floor, and will accommodate 406 diners. A sports bar and grill showing live events, a ‘city-centre style’ café bar, a sandwich deli and a buffet-style restaurant will be introduced as part of the expansion. The four outlets will be located on the airport’s ‘landside’ before security checkpoints.

Glasgow’s commercial director, Francois Bourienne, said that the Scottish hub is “really excited” about working with Delaware North, and drew attention to the airport’s ongoing popularity with food and retail companies by stating that “despite a recession, we have added household names such as Tesco and Dorothy Perkins to our retail portfolio".

Delaware North’s UK chief, Simon Dobson, said that his company was “delighted” with recent developments.

Dishes will be available for £3.50 from the Fresh Food Central and Central Sports Bar and Grill outlets, challenging the long-held idea that airport stores and restaurants are more expensive than their equivalents on the high street.