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Glasgow Airport - a brief history
Facts
Glasgow Airport is located just 8 miles west of Glasgow city center.
The airport is operated by BAA and is officially the busiest airport
in Scotland flying over 8 million passengers each year. The number
of flight destinations is around 90 with over 40 airlines now operating.
The airport has one terminal and 2 runways. The low cost airlines
have also had a major impact on fares to other UK destinations.
History
The airport started operations in 1932 at Abbotsinch and was initially
used as an overspill for the RAF base at Renfrew. The Royal Navy
took over the airfield in 1943 when it became known as HMS Sanderling
with the Royal Auxiliary Air Force 602 the resident squadron.
In 1960 it was announced that Abbotssinch would replace Renfrew
as a new airport serving Glasgow. The airport took 6 years to build
and was officially opened in May 1966 and by December over 1 million
customers had been recorded.
The next major development in 1973 was the extension of the runway
to carry larger jets and in 1975 the present owners BAA purchased
the airport from Glasgow Corporation. BAA immediately started expanding
the airport with a £2 million extension to the terminal in
1986 bringing the capacity up to 3.5 million passengers. In the
late eighties other major works began on the apron followed by a
70% increase in the terminal size at a cost of £55 million
to cater for 6 million customers a year.
In 1990 Prestwick Airport lost its monopoly on transatlantic flights
leaving airlines to fly from the airport of their choice. Glasgow
Airport was a major benefactor in this decision.In 1994 Building
work was completed and international traffic moved to the new pier
with 7 air bridges capable of handling any type of aircraft. The
terminal now has 33 gates as well as remote parking areas.2002 saw
a big expansions from low cost operators on domestic routes helped
passenger numbers continue to rise.
Glasgow Airport continues to prosper as Scotland's number one international
airport, setting new records for passenger numbers month after month.
Glasgow now handles over 8 million passengers and almost 90,000
air transport movements a year. Another major expansion of the terminal
building was announced which will increase capacity to 16 million
passengers a year and plans for the much awaited direct rail link
to the city centre were confirmed.
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