Glasgow granted new Dubai flights in blow to Edinburgh
Nicola Sturgeon attends the announcement of extra daily flight. Picture: PA
FLIGHTS from Glasgow to Dubai, the destination linking Scotland to Asia and Australia, are to double to twice daily – in a major setback for Edinburgh Airport’s ambition to win the potentially lucrative connection.
Emirates airline yesterday announced the extra service to Dubai from 1 June, eight years after launching the route, which it said had generated £164 million for the Glasgow economy and carried 1.7 million passengers. The move signalled Edinburgh’s failure to woo the airline, despite long-running talks.
Experts believe the move will set back the capital’s attempts to secure a route to a Middle East hub, although it is continuing discussions with other carriers.
The airport had hoped to establish such a stepping stone by this summer because it enables Scottish passengers to make one-stop long-haul journeys to the east – rather than two if they travelled via European hubs.
Emirates UK and Ireland vice-president Laurie Berryman said it had considered an Edinburgh-Dubai route, but decided to build on its Glasgow base instead. The move will create up to 15 jobs.
Mr Berryman said the 360-seat Boeing 777 aircraft on the Glasgow route – the biggest in regular service in Scotland – were operating at full capacity.
Seven in ten passengers travel on from Dubai further east, with Australian destinations among the most popular. The lunchtime departure to Dubai will be supplemented by an overnight service, taking off at 9:30pm.
Initially, Emirates will use a smaller Airbus A340, with 274 seats, for the new flight, but both services will feature Scotland’s inaugural first-class cabin on a scheduled route.
Mr Berryman said the second flight would improve connections to countries such as New Zealand – where passengers are currently put up in a hotel during a 12-hour stopover in Dubai. Emirates has 112 onward routes from Dubai, along with five others from the UK.
He said of Glasgow: “It has been one of the most successful services we have ever had. We will see very strong growth.”
Aviation analyst John Strickland, of JLS Consulting, said: “This is good news for Glasgow Airport and for the wider Scottish economy, but it will most probably make it more difficult for a deal to be concluded – at least in the short term – to add a similar Middle Eastern hub route to Edinburgh’s portfolio.
“This is a significant jump in capacity and, added to the connections available via European hubs, it will likely reduce the appetite for more from other prospective carriers.”
Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said: “It’s difficult to overstate the significance of today’s announcement, which will forge greater business links and help boost Glasgow’s reputation as a major tourism and convention centre. It also reinforces Glasgow’s position as Scotland’s long-haul gateway.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This route opens up so much in the way of connections with traditional and emerging markets in Asia, south-east Asia, Australasia and Africa.”
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick described it as “a clear vote of confidence in Glasgow’s ongoing economic success”.
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We’re continuing to discuss new long-haul routes with carriers, both east and west, and we’re confident that our global routes will grow.”
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Comments
There are 26 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Rob Royston
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:13 PM#25===If you read my #6 you will see that I do not claim expertise but that I am aware of EDI's "short runway, soft aprons and stands". My #9 was in response to #7, who said in response to #5========================= "The time to brag will be when Edinburgh competes on a level playing field..not before. #6..Edinburgh's runway can handle anything currently operating at Glasgow. You are right about aprons and stands though..a bit suspicious for a modern facility don't you think?"================================== With a level playing field it would be down to runway lengths, it may be only about 10 tons weight but two flights each way every day for years, that's a lot of 10 tons. The information that you have posted about the soft stands limiting weights so much is astounding. It is a shocking situation that our airport of choice has not been improved, except for shops and drop off charging bays. Just like your own views regarding the runway length, and the plans required to extend it, it seems that they have no forward vision.
Porrohman
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 05:34 PMI'm confused as to why my post 10 is still awaiting moderation. I tried to re-post it as post 21 but that was held for moderation and then removed by the moderators. Maybe my answer was too technical and confused the moderators? The point I was trying to make was in response to post 9 which suggested that the maximum take-off weight of a Boeing 777-300ER from Edinburgh is limited by the runway length. My understanding is that the runway length is not the limiting factor for this type of aircraft at Edinburgh. The maximum take off weight is instead restricted by the strength of the aprons and taxiways. According to Boeing's detailed performance figures, unless BAA sanctions an overload of the aprons, taxiways and runway then the maximum take-off weight for this aircraft from Edinburgh would be restricted to around 595,000lbs and not the 700,000lbs suggested by Rob Royston. At that take-off weight the aircraft would only need about 6,000ft of the 8,400ft runway however with a full passenger load it is unlikely to have enough range to reach Dubai, even if no cargo is carried, unless there was a very strong tailwind. This aircraft is the mainstay of the Emirates fleet and the relative weakness of the pavements at Edinburgh make it less than ideal for operating this type of aircraft. If BAA were to sanction an overload on the pavements (10 per cent is sometimes allowed under CAA CAP 168) then that improves the situation, but it's easy to see that the revenue earning potential from Edinburgh is less than from Glasgow for this type of aircraft because of the stronger pavements at Glasgow Airport. As I said in post 11, there are plenty of other long-range wide-bodied aircraft that are better suited to the pavement strengths at Edinburgh so the fact that it's not best suited to operating Boeing 777-300ERs is not in itself an impediment to further long-haul expansion but perhaps this explains one of the factors that influenced Emirates choice of Glasgow rather than Edinburgh.
mahatmacoat
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:23 AMPlease ignore my previous post it was misdirected.
mahatmacoat
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:19 AMThis chap is openly hostile to anyone and everything positive about Edinburgh - including yourselves. "defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate or infringe the rights of any person or entity "
mahatmacoat
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:15 AM#11..Spot on! I recommend any interested buyers for Edinburgh Airport read your contribution here.
Porrohman
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 07:50 PMComment removed by moderator
Hazelkaye
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 05:06 PMre 19 "Canongate" even!
Hazelkaye
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 05:01 PMre title! "In blow to Edinburgh"! Tee! Hee! What a hoot! There's more than enough blowing, huffing and puffing and bags of wind in Edinburgh as it is - all situated in a monstrosity of a building at the foot of the High Street!
Hazelkaye
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 04:54 PMGlasgow Airport! Something to (re) "choo-choo" over perhaps!!
Hazelkaye
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 04:51 PMSalmond must have wriggled off his hook on his recent "mission" sorry visit!
Rob Royston
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 04:36 PM#15==I suppose it depends on if you view the airport from a business perspective or from a national integrated transport infrastructure standpoint. As far as I am aware the plan is to spend lots of money on a station at Gogar with a tramline from there to the airport and the Dalmeny Chord north of the airport. I have not seen the route of the Dalmeny chord but it means that the Fife line is "cemented" in place making an Eastward extension and a new longer second runway impossible. It may be possible to extend the other runway Northwards as long as the Dalmeney Chord does not block that as well, although it should not, but this is not as good as parallel runways would be. It also means that the railway will never get to the airport entrance. A lot of people will be put off getting a train and then a tram to the airport and will probably just get taxis as they do now, or go to Glasgow instead.
Porrohman
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 03:59 PM#14 - In the long term, if demand justifies, then the runway could perhaps be extended and the railways re-routed in the way that you describe but the costs would be immense. In the short term, such investments would not generate the necessary return and they are, based on my analysis, unnecessary. Even with the current runway length a variety of long-haul types e.g. the Airbus A330-200 or Boeing 787 could operate with an economic payload to most long-haul destinations that are likely to generate sufficient demand at Edinburgh Airport. If the shortcomings I have identified are remedied and if demand grows, then further enhancements can be added as and when demand justifies.
Rob Royston
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 03:32 PM#11==Lots of good information there. I saw some of it already in BAA's long term plan for the airport, but it concerns me that you all think that "starter strips" are the way forward. It's true that you can have an extra1500 ft from the road end, but I can only see about 700ft at the railway end. If Scotland hopes to develop on its own, then it will need good freight connections, as well as passenger, to airports all over the globe. I think the runway for this type of operation needs to be 13,000ft. It is no good thinking of ourselves as a part of the UK, we need to be thinking that we can become a world centre. We are in an ideal location for being an air and sea transportation hub and we need to plan ahead with that in mind.===================================================================== I would move and extend Edinburgh Airport's runway(s) to the east, removing the existing Fife railway and routing it round the front of the airport with an airport station and a link over to the Glasgow and Bathgate lines at Ratho Station. The new Fife line would continue from the airport station round the airport boundary towards Kirkliston and along the old line towards Dalmeny with a second link to the Edinburgh Glasgow line. This plan would be future proof and allow expansion to any level, instead of the daftill thought out Dalmeny Chord plan.
aIasdair
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 01:52 PM12 - no need to apologise. It's not you to blame - it's this lamentable website structure. It's been cobbled together on the cheap.
Porrohman
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 01:46 PMSorry about the way my last post appears. All my paragraph breaks and some of the punctualtion marks have disappeared.
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