Press release -
Air France strengthens its links to Scotland with new Glasgow service
Air France is set to expand its short-haul network with daily flights to (and from) Glasgow, marking the airline’s 3rd Scottish destination and 9th UK destination. The route will form part of the airline’s new summer schedule for 2016.
Commencing on the 27th of March 2016, the daily flight will connect Glasgow to Air France’s Charles de Gaulle hub in Paris. The airline will offer a number of connections to its worldwide network of over 130 destinations from Scotland, including Shanghai, Tokyo and New York City. The daily flight will be operated by an Airbus A318, carrying up to 131 passengers.
| Flight Number | Origin | Destination | Departure (local time) | Arrival (local time) |
| AF 1056 | Paris | Glasgow | 7:30 | 8:15 |
| AF 1057 | Glasgow | Paris | 9:00 | 11:50 |
Fares start from £88 return in economy including all taxes. Flights are open for sale from today on the airline’s website www.airfrance.co.uk or Air France Reservations on 0207 660 0337 and via local travel agents.
Air France’s decision to introduce services from Glasgow Airport follows a strong business case put forward by the airport and the decision to strengthen its links in the UK market as well as position Air France as a key intercontinental airline for Scotland. The research showed significant support for business and leisure sectors for the commencement of the route as well as a growing demand for connectivity due to Glasgow’s diverse economy across a variety of sectors.
The daily flight from Glasgow to Paris offers passengers the choice of Economy or Business class, where in either cabin; they will be able to enjoy complimentary onboard catering and a wide selection of beverages.
With the addition of the Air France Glasgow to Paris-Charles de Gaulle route, the Air France KLM Group is strengthening its overall presence in Scotland and will offer more than 150 weekly flights. In total the Group will offer 7 routes from 4 Scottish airports (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness) to Paris or Amsterdam, where passengers will be able to connect to the extensive Air France KLM worldwide network.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said:
“This is fantastic news for Glasgow and further strengthens the reputation of Scotland as an attractive destination for major airline investment, which is crucial to growing the visitor economy. France is one of our biggest European markets with French visitors attracted to Scotland’s romance and culture which sees them return year-round to explore our cities and landscape.
“Not only will this Air France service make it even easier for our French visitors to visit Glasgow – named as one of 2016’s ‘must visit’ destinations by National Geographic Traveler – but by connecting to a global hub like Paris Charles de Gaulle it will unlock the potential for growth in our long haul and emerging markets. It will further tap into the business tourism market giving increased access to one of Scotland's premier events destinations."
Warner Rootliep, General Manager of Air France-KLM UK & Ireland said:
“Demand from Scotland continues to grow and Air France has always invested in its Scottish network and local relationships from the region.We are pleased to further strengthen our presence in Scotland, with the introduction of the Glasgow-Paris route and we are confident the news will be well received. Air France KLM’s Scottish offering will ensure that local businesses are better connected to key markets around the world and we are proud to provide the largest city in Scotland with connectivity to and from key worldwide destinations.”
Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, said:
“Air France is a major player in the world of aviation with an extensive route network through its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle into important global markets such as South America, China, India and Africa. The airline’s decision to introduce a daily summer service from Glasgow Airport will play a crucial role in encouraging export led-growth, attracting further inward investment and supporting Scotland’s burgeoning tourism industry. Glasgow is the economic powerhouse of Scotland and the arrival of the French national flag carrier will further boost our connectivity with the world. This announcement rounds off what has been a remarkable year for Glasgow Airport in terms of passenger growth and route development. We have been working closely with our city and national partners to add further new routes for our passengers and we are looking forward to welcoming Air France on board in 2016.”
Minister for Transport and Islands, Derek Mackay said:
“The announcement of this new service from Air France is excellent news for Glasgow and for Scotland and further enhances the country’s international connectivity. This new link will complement existing services from Glasgow and give travellers access to more long haul destinations from the global hub that is Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. That means Scottish businesses will have improved access to international markets and Scotland will be even more attractive as a destination for tourists. I congratulate both Glasgow Airport and Air France on this announcement and look forward to the service taking off next year.”
Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said:
“This is a welcome announcement by Air France and a significant boost for Glasgow’s economy. Securing France’s national air carrier and the introduction of a direct daily summer service will further strengthen cultural and business links between Paris, Glasgow and the wider west of Scotland. There will undoubtedly be strong demand for this service, which has the potential to deliver considerable inbound leisure and business tourism. It will also vastly improve the city’s competitiveness by providing passengers with greater worldwide connectivity through one of Europe’s largest hub airports and Air France’s membership of the SkyTeam alliance route network. Glasgow is constantly striving to grow its air links and connect the city to the global marketplace. We’re looking forward to working with Air France, Glasgow Airport and VisitScotland on joint marketing communications activity to ensure the success of this new route.”
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick added:
“Glasgow Airport has finished 2015 with a flourish of success after one of its best-ever periods, and it’s a compliment that we’ve come to expect no less from the Scottish and UK Airport of the Year. This is marvellous news for our business community as it gives daily access to another hub airport at Charles de Gaulle with ongoing links to major markets worldwide.”
- ENDS -
About Air France:
Air France currently services 10 UK & Irish airports flying to over 130 destinations worldwide from its hubs at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and Paris Orly airport.In the UK and Ireland, Air France currently flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle from: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton. From London City, Air France flies to Paris Orly. www.airfrance.co.uk
Customers travelling with Air France have the benefit of accruing frequent flyer miles with the Flying Blue program. For more details of how to become a member, to sign up for special offers, check in online and much more visit www.airfrance.co.uk
About Glasgow Airport:
Glasgow Airport is owned by AGS Airports Limited. AGS Airports is a partnership between Ferrovial and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) established in 2014 to invest in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports. In December 2014, Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, was appointed as the CEO for AGS as a group.
With 30 airlines serving more than 110 destinations worldwide, including Canada, the US, the Caribbean, Europe and the Gulf, Glasgow Airport is Scotland’s principal long-haul airport.
In addition to being Scotland’s largest charter hub, Glasgow Airport serves more Scottish destinations than any other airport and is a key component of Scotland’s transport infrastructure. The airport supports over 7,300 jobs across Scotland and makes the largest contribution of any airport to Scotland’s economy, generating hundreds of millions of pounds.
According to European airport trade body, ACI Europe, Glasgow Airport was one of Europe’s fastest growing airports during the first six months of 2015.It was also the third fastest growing airport in its category during the third quarter of 2015. ACI Europe categorises airports based on passenger numbers with Glasgow Airport falling into group three - airports welcoming between 5 and 10 million passengers.
For further information please contact:
Brian McClean
Head of Communications
Glasgow Airport
0141 848 4558/0775 4390 160
brian.mcclean@glasgowairport.com
Nicola Macnaughton
Communications Manager
Glasgow Airport
0141 848 4737/07770 363 023
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- air france
- glasgow airport
- paris
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
