Emirates superjumbo to fly from Glasgow

Vice-president UK Laurie Berryman said: “I think it’s a question of when rather than if.”

He said introducing the 517-seat Airbus A380 aircraft on the route was the more likely option for its next expansion.

A third daily flight was the other possibility.

Mr Berryman said: “I think the A380 is more likely, but I could not put a timescale on it.”

He said the route was continuing to grow despite turmoil in the aviation industry this year following terrorist attacks and Brexit vote, and two other Middle East airlines launching flights from Edinburgh.

Emirates carried 410,000 passengers on its twice-daily flights from Glasgow in the year to March - more than four times as in its first year of 2004-05.

The airline has since added a second flight and put on larger planes.

In 2013, Mr Berryman predicted either the A380 or a third flight on the Glasgow route by 2017.

One of the superjumbos visited Glasgow two years ago for a one-off visit.

However, Mr Berryman said the airport would need to install a second air bridge walkway for passengers and make taxiway improvements for regular A380 flights.

Emirates already operates the aircraft from London and Manchester, and launched it from Birmingahm in March.

Three in four passengers from Glasgow travel on from the airline’s Dubai hub to places such as Australia, Thailand and Mauritius, with Bangkok the most popular single destination.

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