Glasgow Airport


(Abbotsinch Airport)

Located 1¼ miles (2 km) north of Paisley and 7 miles (11 km) west of Glasgow city centre, Glasgow Airport is one of seven in the UK operated by the British Airports Authority, BAA plc. Between 1943 and 1963 Royal Naval Air Station, known as HMS Sanderling, operated at Abbotsinch. This base was transformed and was officially opened as Glasgow Airport by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 27th June 1966. The terminal building was the work of Sir Basil Spence (1907-76). Within seven years the runway had to be lengthened to cope with larger planes. In 1975 Glasgow Corporation sold the airport to the British Airports Authority, who embarked upon an expansion of the terminal facilities. A further significant expansion took place in the late 1980s, increasing the size of the terminal again, at a cost of £55 million, to cope with growing passenger numbers. Today, it is Scotland's busiest airport with more than 8.8 million passengers and 97,000 take-offs and landings annually. The airport has two terminals and two runways that are 2658m (8720 feet) and 1088m (3570 feet) in length. The airport is a major employer, with 5400 staff, and has the International Air Transport Association (IATA) location code "GLA". The Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron, which had been based at the former naval air station since 1946, still flys from the airport.


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