Emirates marks 20 years of service at Glasgow International Airport

In the 20 years since its inaugural flight on 10 April 2004, Emirates has carried over 5.62 million passengers on 18,990 roundtrip flights to and from Dubai, connecting travellers and businesses in the region with its expansive global network.

Connecting Scotland with the world 

Emirates operations from Glasgow have made a significant contribution to the local economy, facilitating inbound tourism, creating thousands of jobs, as well as transporting hundreds of tonnes of cargo in the belly hold of its flights every week. 

In 2023 alone, Emirates transported over 4 million kgs of cargo via Glasgow Airport. Goods transported over the years include quintessential Scottish products ranging from barrels of Whisky and Scottish Salmon through to rarer British cargo like Aston Martins. 

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates divisional vice president in the UK, said: “We’re proud to have served Scotland via Glasgow for more than 20 years, connecting millions of passengers and facilitating valuable trade across our global network. We have seen significant growth over the last two decades and forward bookings for this route were up 51% year-on-year in 2024. We’d like to sincerely thank all our stakeholders including the local community, customers, businesses, suppliers, ground handlers, the Scottish Government, local authorities, Glasgow Airport, and travel agents for their unwavering support over the past two decades as we reach this milestone. 

“Glasgow remains a key market from both passenger and cargo perspectives and is a hugely popular destination for our passengers around the world. We look forward to continuing to provide our best-in-class services and greater connectivity to Scotland.”