Glasgow Airport

About Glasgow Airport

Glasgow Airport is the second busiest airport in Scotland. It sits beside Paisley in Renfrewshire, about 7 miles (11 km) west of Glasgow city centre, with direct access from the M8 motorway. The airport serves the city and the wider west of Scotland.

UK Civil Aviation Authority figures show 8,205,280 terminal passengers used the airport in 2025, up 1.7% on 2024. It has a single runway, 05/23, which is 2,661 metres long with a grooved asphalt surface. Departure gates are spread along several piers.

Glasgow Airport Limited runs the airport as part of AGS Airports, which also operates Aberdeen Airport. AviAlliance completed its purchase of AGS Airports from Ferrovial and Macquarie in January 2025. The airport is marking its 60th anniversary in 2026.

How to get to Glasgow Airport

By bus and coach

The main public transport link into the city is First Glasgow's Glasgow Airport Express service 500. It runs 24 hours a day, with buses as often as every 10 minutes. In the city centre it stops near Glasgow Central and Queen Street stations and departs from Buchanan Bus Station (stance 46). At the airport, catch it from stance 1. The journey can take as little as 15 minutes, depending on traffic.

The McGill's 757 runs between the terminal and Paisley Gilmour Street station. Details of other local services are available from Traveline Scotland.

By train

The airport does not have its own railway station. The nearest is Paisley Gilmour Street, just over a mile from the terminal, which has ScotRail trains to and from Glasgow Central. Take the McGill's 757 bus or a taxi for the final part of the journey. Rail passengers coming from Glasgow can also use the 500 bus from Glasgow Central or Queen Street.

By road

Drivers coming from the east should leave the M8 at junction 28, and those from the west at junction 29. The airport recommends the postcode PA3 2SW for sat navs. Official airport parking is available on site and can be booked in advance, and private hire taxis can be arranged for journeys to and from the terminal.

Terminal and facilities

Services for passengers at Glasgow Airport include:

• Lomond Lounge and UpperDeck Lounge: lounges that any passenger can book, for stays of up to three hours.
• Airline lounges: British Airways (first floor, Central Pier) and Emirates.
• Priority security: a fast track lane through security that can be booked in advance.
• Priority passport lane: available to arriving passengers.
• Special assistance: help for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, which can be requested before travel.
• VIP services.

Airlines and destinations

Glasgow offers a mix of leisure, low-cost, domestic and long-haul flights. easyJet, Jet2.com, TUI and Ryanair serve city and holiday destinations across Europe, including Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Greece, Croatia, Malta and Turkey, and there are also flights to Morocco. Corendon Airlines and Wizz Air are among the other carriers.

Loganair has a hub at Glasgow and runs regional flights from it, and British Airways connects Glasgow with London. KLM flies to its Amsterdam hub, and Glasgow is also served by Aer Lingus, Icelandair and Emirates, which offers long-haul connections through Dubai.

Transatlantic flights grew in 2026. United Airlines brought back a seasonal service to New York Newark and WestJet returned with flights to Toronto. Air Transat also flies from Glasgow. Other new routes for 2026 include Edelweiss to Zurich and Eurowings to Hanover.

History

Aviation on the site dates back to 1932, when RAF Abbotsinch opened. In the Second World War it became the naval air station HMS Sanderling. Glasgow Airport opened on 2 May 1966, replacing the nearby Renfrew Airport, and the first commercial flight landed that same morning. Sir Basil Spence designed the terminal, and Queen Elizabeth II formally opened it on 27 June 1966.

The airport was owned for many years by BAA, later renamed Heathrow Airport Holdings. On 30 June 2007 the main terminal entrance was the target of a terrorist attack in which a burning vehicle was driven into the building. In 2014 Glasgow was sold, along with Aberdeen and Southampton airports, to a Ferrovial and Macquarie consortium that became AGS Airports. AviAlliance took ownership of AGS Airports in January 2025, and in 2026 the airport began a year of events to mark its 60th anniversary.