News Release
Thursday 24 July 2014
Emirates opens dedicated lounge at Glasgow Airport
Emirates celebrated the start of the Commonwealth Games in style with the official opening
of its first lounge at Glasgow Airport, unveiled by the airline’s President Sir Tim Clark.
Emirates is the only non-domestic airline to have a lounge at Glasgow Airport and it comes
as the airline marks its 10th year of service to the Scottish city. With the opening of the
lounge, Glasgow became the 36th lounge in Emirates’ network and its 14th lounge in
Europe.
The introduction of the lounge illustrates Emirates’ ever-growing commitment to Glasgow
and forms an unrivalled offering for Emirates’ First Class and Business Class passengers as
well as its Emirates Platinum and Gold Skywards members. The design of the lounge
reflects the design aesthetic and contemporary style of Emirates lounges at Dubai Airport’s
Concourse A, and features the airline’s trademark fine wines and gourmet food.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline commented: “Our new Emirates Lounge at
Glasgow is the largest at the airport and represents a significant £2 million direct investment.
Its opening celebrates our decade long operations and our close ties with Scotland. Our
passenger numbers have grown as we progressively developed our services into Glasgow.
The lounge opening today is a testament to the success of our double daily operation. The
lounge will be an unrivalled premium experience for our customers travelling to popular
destinations including Bangkok, Perth, Sydney and Singapore, via our hub in Dubai.”
Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “Emirates’ new world-class
lounge is a fantastic and welcome addition to Glasgow Airport. Over the course of the past
10 years, Emirates has established itself as Scotland’s leading long-haul airline and the
opening of the lounge further demonstrates its continued commitment to Scotland. Earlier
this year, Emirates created aviation history when it became the first airline to bring the
world’s largest commercial aircraft, the A380, to Scotland. The opening of this lounge in what
is Emirates’ 10th anniversary year will enhance the already excellent service it provides to its
Scottish passengers.”
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The lounge will showcase premium Scottish products and the operation is estimated to
generate significant increased business for local suppliers, including catering opportunities
with Loch Fyne smoked salmon, Bellhaven Brewery and Glenmorangie whisky. The lounge
has also resulted in the creation of 21 full-time positions at the airport.
Emirates has connected more than 2.6 million passengers to its network since 2004 and has
carried more than 50 million kilos of cargo to and from the region. With a 65 percent market
share of Scotland’s air transport export market, Emirates is the country’s link to key export
markets for Scotland’s most renowned commodities, including salmon and whiskey. In fact,
cargo exports for 2014 from Glasgow have increased 77 percent year on year, and so far
this year the airline has carried more than 2,000 tonnes of salmon and seafood bound for
Emirates global network.
Located in the departures corridor of the main international departures lounge, the lounge
provides passengers with extensive views of the airfield and is a short walk from Emirates’
boarding point at gate 30. Expected to welcome more than 100 premium passengers
travelling on Emirates’ twice daily services to Dubai, the lounge’s facilities include formal and
relaxed seating areas, a dining area, shower facilities and a business centre. With a relaxing
water feature and bespoke artwork, the courteous service from dedicated staff complete the
signature Emirates lounge experience.
ENDS