Glasgow gets double connectivity boost
Published by Simon Gwynn on Sat 09 Jun 12 @ 22:11
The wheels are well and truly rolling for Glasgow's connectivity. It has been a great couple of weeks with new air routes coming into motion and Virgin extending its operating contract on the West Coast main line, adding thousands more seats in the process.
Direct flights to Amsterdam took off from Glasgow Airport on Sunday, just days before the new route which will link the city to the Spanish capital of Madrid.
EasyJet, who are one of your Chamber's Partners for the City are running six flights per week to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport up until March, after which a daily flight will operate.
This is good news for the city and follows easyJet's earlier expansion of its Scottish operations with another 180-seat Airbus 320 and extra flights between Glasgow and London coming into operation. It also means the airline now flies a total of 15 routes from Scotland's biggest city, a hugely positive development for the entire west coast.
This week also saw Air Nostrum, a Spanish regional airline launch its maiden flight of a twice weekly service between Glasgow and Madrid. Spain is currently the second most popular overseas destination and biggest European market for travellers from Glasgow with an estimated 267,000 passengers travelling per year.
In fact Glasgow Airport currently has 28 weekly scheduled flights to the country, with easyJet and Jet2.com operating the routes, with Madrid representing the first city destination - expected to be popular with tourists and business travelers alike.
For those who usually travel with their feet firmly on the ground Virgin have recently extended their contract to run services on the West Coast Main Line. The eight-month deal will add 28,000 more seats to the route with Virgin bringing three new 600-seat Pendolino trains into service as well as expanding the number of carriages on 31 existing locomotives.
The trains and carriages will be introduced to allow for further growth on a line where the number of passengers has more than doubled since 2004, rising from 14m to 30m today.
Your Chamber has continually pushed for increased connectivity for the city, working with our partners to develop routes, increase the number of seats and make it easier for the business community to trade with other markets, whatever their distance. All aboard!
