Glasgow International Airport (GLA)

Introduction

Glasgow International Airport is Scotland’s primary airport. Approximately 8.7 million passengers are handled by Glasgow International Airport every year. Located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, 8 miles west of the city, Glasgow International Airport is the UK’s seventh busiest airport.

Facilities and Services

Glasgow International Airport can offer its passengers flights to several scheduled and seasonal chartered destinations including domestic; European; Middle and Far Eastern; and transatlantic services.
Glasgow International Airport has two terminals that provide passengers with departure lounges containing a fair range of retail and catering outlets. Glasgow International Airport also has currency exchange facilities, car hire representatives and information desks to meet arriving passengers needs.
Glasgow International Airport has three executive business lounges. Passengers can enjoy business facilities such as fax; e-mail; and Internet access as well as complimentary drinks and snacks in a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. There are also three exclusive lounges for qualifying passengers with British Airways, bmi and KLM.

Getting To The Airport

The M8 Motorway via Junction 28 gives easy access to and from Glasgow International Airport.
Paisley's Gilmour Street railway station is the nearest to the airport. It is just one mile from the terminal and can be reached by taxi or by regular bus services from bus stop bay 1 – located just outside the terminal building. There are direct rail services from Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central, Ayr and Clyde Coast destinations.
All public buses depart from the front of the terminal building. There are frequent services to Glasgow city centre operated by Citylink service 905. All services drop off at various locations in the city centre including Glasgow Central and Queen Street railway stations and Buchanan bus station.
National Express coach services operate regular coach services to Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station, where alternative transport can be found for travel on to Glasgow international Airport.

Parking at the Airport

There are several parking options available to passengers using Glasgow International Airport.
Short stay – NCP. This car park is just a few metres from the terminal entrance. It is recommended for stays of up to five hours. It is ideal for seeing someone off or meeting friends and family.
Short stay special – NCP. This car park is just a few metres from the terminal entrance. It is ideal for passengers who are taking short trips and will be returning within a few days.
Long stay – Flightpath. Passengers using this facility, park their car and take the courtesy bus to the terminal. The bus runs every five to ten minutes and the journey time is five minutes. It is ideal for longer trips and family holidays.
In order to make a booking to secure a space at any of these pre-bookable car parks at Glasgow International Airport via carparkinguk.co.uk.

History of Glasgow International Airport

Glasgow Airport was officially opened by her majesty the Queen on 27th June 1966, and it had handled over 1 million passengers by the end of that year.

During the 1970s Glasgow International Airport was a popular starting point for package holidays with airlines flying to holiday destinations in Europe. In 1973 the runway was extended in order to cater for larger jets. In 1975 BAA bought the airport and began developing the site, expanding the terminal building with an extension costing £2 million.

By 1986 the airport was able to handle 3.5 million travellers a year. As demand increased, the expansion of the airport continued into the latter half of the 1980s with a £55 million development, increasing the terminal size by over two thirds in order to provide for a 6 million passengers a year.

In 1990 the Government announced that transatlantic carriers could now fly from the airport of their choice, when previously Prestwick enjoyed a monopoly on transatlantic flights. A number of airlines switched their operation from Prestwick to Glasgow Airport, including Air Canada. By 1994 building work was completed and Glasgow International Airport had a newly developed pier with 7 air bridges and was able to handle any aircraft.