Glasgow Airport

GLA originated in 1932, and the following year Royal Air Force (RAF) 602 Squadron (City of Glasgow) Auxiliary Air Force moved its Westland Wapiti IIA aircraft to the airfield. On July 1st, 1936, the 6 Auxiliary Group, Bomber Command, arrived at the airfield where the RAF Station HQ was formed. A torpedo training unit was formed in 1940, training both RAF and Royal Navy crews. The airfield then became a strictly naval base on August 11th, 1943, after being handed over to the Royal Navy. The base was used during the 1950s to house a large aircraft storage unit and squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The navy left in October 1963. By this point, the base had been home to dozens of RAF and Naval Air Squadrons. On May 2nd, 1966, GLA took over as the primary airport for Glasgow (from the nearby Renfrew Airport), with the first flight serviced by British European Airways from Edinburgh on the first day of operation. The official opening was on June 27th, 1966, with Queen Elizabeth II doing the honors. Initially, GAL was only allowed to handle UK and European traffic, as another airport (Glasgow Prestwick Airport) monopolized transatlantic traffic as part of the 1946 US-UK Bermuda Agreement, regulating air transport). The British Airport Authority (BAA) assumed ownership of the airport in 1975, and in 1989 a significant redevelopment plan was undertaken at GLA. Security was tight at the airport, and GLA became only the second airport worldwide to screen all baggage (with Tel Aviv Ben Gurion being the first) due to the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. Some developments at GLA included building a pre-fabricated metal structure around the front of the original terminal building, thereby hiding much of its Brutalist architecture.
Moreover, an international departure lounge and pier were added to the west side of the terminal, bringing it to a total of 38 gates capable of handling up to 9 million annual passengers. Finally, in 2003 a satellite building (T2) was completed as a dedicated check-in facility for various low-cost airlines. In 2007, work began on Skyhub, a single security area for all three piers. In 2015, T2 was extended, allowing for an extra 750,000 yearly passengers. This was followed in 2018 by the closure of the Ryanair base, with only 3 of its 22 routes retained due to what it felt were high Scottish taxes. The International Pier was upgraded in 2019 to service the Airbus A380 (at the cost of 8 million pounds). On April 16th, 2019, Emirates launched a daily Glasgow - Dubai route utilizing the aircraft.

The airport is located in Paisley, Renfewshire, 9.9 miles west of the Glasgow city center. 

• Plans include building a light rail link to connect the airport to the city. 
• Future growth at GLA is hampered by its location, which has thus seen a challenge from Edinburgh Airport. 
• The Lomond Lounge at GLA features drinks and food/snack options. Other lounges at the airport include the Upper Deck Lounge, the British Airways Lounge, and the Emirates Lounge. 
• The FBOs at GLA are Signature Flight Support and Gama Aviation.