Emirates to fly from Scotland

Daily flights from Glasgow to Dubai are being launched next month by Emirates. The UAE carrier is adding Scotland to its expanding network with the start of a service on 10 April. The airline expects to carry more than 100,000 passengers on the route in its first year, with 75% travelling onward from Dubai to other destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Emirates will use two-class 285-seat Airbus A330s on the route with flights departing Glasgow at 14.00, arriving in Dubai at 00.30 local time. Travellers from Glasgow to Australia will be able to each Sydney with two non-stop flights. The lack of direct long haul flights to Scotland means that 300,000 people a year travel on connecting flights from the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, with almost 80% going via Heathrow or Amsterdam, according to Emirates. The airline’s UK & Ireland vice-president Vic Sheppard said: “No longer will passengers from Scotland have to endure time-consuming delays in London or mainland Europe. Our route will bypass those and provide direct access to Dubai, equidistant from destinations on three continents that represent four-fifths of the earth’s population.” He claimed the new service would be a “major boost” to air travel from Scotland. “I am certain that this new service will lead to more tourists travelling in both directions, and a better understanding of business opportunities in Dubai and Glasgow,” he said. “Scotland has strong links with the Middle East through oil and gas-related businesses, yet Dubai remains relatively undiscovered by Scottish leisure travellers.” Report by Phil Davies