Latest news with #KamJandu
The Herald Scotland
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow Airport chief reveals major flights update
The transformation of the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport would deliver 'best-in-class operational and retail facilities for passengers'. AviAlliance's plans for Glasgow Airport also include direct investment into airfield infrastructure and energy-efficiency initiatives. And AviAlliance revealed Aberdeen Airport, Europe's largest heliport, would see 'similar investment in its airfield infrastructure'. I was able to catch a word with Kam Jandu, who was installed by AviAlliance as the new chief executive of AGS Airports immediately after completion of the AGS acquisition, as the huge investment by the new owner was unveiled at Glasgow Airport. And it was interesting to hear his priorities for new routes and building passenger numbers generally, as well as his views on the rise of Edinburgh Airport. Mr Jandu revealed the airport is in talks with Emirates about the airline increasing its daily service to Dubai to double-daily. He voiced hopes this could happen in the next two to three years, with Emirates operating a daily narrow-body aeroplane flight on the Glasgow to Dubai route in addition to the existing daily service on the Airbus A380, which is the world's largest passenger aircraft. Mr Jandu declared Emirates' current daily Glasgow to Dubai service on the A380 was 'a huge deal' for the airport and a 'feather in our cap'. He told me: 'We are talking about them expanding that to a double-daily.' Asked if this was likely to happen, he quipped he was not a betting man but added: 'The double-daily – with the A380 and a narrow body [plane] – yes, I can see that happening in the next two to three years. And to have the second daily as a wide body – probably in five to six years.' Mr Jandu named Copenhagen, Madrid, Berlin and Milan as four examples of priorities for new direct flights from Glasgow and highlighted his view there was a need for 'more connectivity' with three key European hubs with which Glasgow already has connections: Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. Mr Jandu meanwhile described the prospects of winning direct flights to North America as 'good' and highlighted talks with US airlines. My column in The Herald on the interview with Glasgow Airport's new chief observed: 'The priorities laid out by Mr Jandu on building connectivity and increasing passenger numbers generally were eminently sensible. 'The proof of the pudding will be in the execution of the plans, but it was good to see he was in confident form and that much effort is being made on various key fronts.' Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes attended Glasgow Airport for the unveiling of the major investment plans by AviAlliance, a wholly owned subsidiary of PSP Investments which has stakes in Athens, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) airports. Read more This provided the opportunity to ask a couple of questions about the future of Prestwick Airport. Ms Forbes highlighted the Scottish Government's 'very clear lines' that it wants Prestwick Airport to continue to operate as an airport after any sale. The Deputy First Minister said the Scottish Government continued to 'make progress' in terms of its aspirations to return Prestwick Airport, which it rescued in 2013 by buying the airport from Infratil of New Zealand for £1, to the private sector. However, Ms Forbes said she was unable to provide an update on an 'active bid' for Prestwick Airport, which was confirmed in late March by First Minister John Swinney, declaring the matter was 'so commercially sensitive' Asked in late March by Scottish Parliament economy and fair work committee convener and South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth if he was aware of an active bid for Prestwick Airport, Mr Swinney replied: 'I am. That's a matter that's currently under very active consideration.' Ms Forbes, who highlighted Prestwick Airport's cargo operations, said: 'We have set out very clear lines that we want Prestwick to continue to operate as an airport. 'My view is Scotland is small enough to be able to support multiple airports but for those airports to be complementary to one another.' Prestwick Airport forecast in February its direct workforce would rise from 354 to around 400 with its expansion plans for its cargo operations. The airport puts the number of jobs that it supports in the aerospace cluster in and around it at about 4,000. In a column for The Herald on Sunday, I observed: 'Prestwick Airport is certainly of great strategic importance. 'So it is reassuring to hear Ms Forbes emphasise the Scottish Government's 'very clear lines' about wanting it to continue as an airport after any sale.' Donald Trump's trade tariff war has, not surprisingly, never been far from the spotlight in the past month and has provided much about which to write. The US President's 'Liberation Day' announcement of the US's tariffs on imports from various countries around the world, on April 2, sent stock markets gyrating wildly. It always looked like this was going to be the first rather than last chapter of the manoeuvrings, notably by Mr Trump but also by other world leaders, and so it has proved, with the greatest friction perhaps predictably coming in the US-China relationship. The only thing that seems certain is that this soap opera has a long way to run. Senior Scottish economist Jeremy Peat told The Herald on April 7: 'The dramatic response of global stock markets to Donald Trump's mad cap scheme to raise tariffs across the board was simply inevitable and wholly predictable. 'The immediate impact across all economies and all companies in the traded goods sectors was clearly going to be adverse. 'To me this implies a much weaker global economy for at least a year or two.' As I observed on the Trump tariff moves in a column for The Herald on Sunday: 'While the plot twists might be fascinating to watch, we must hope we move from all this drama and financial market turbulence to a calmer situation as quickly as possible. However, to say that remains to be seen would certainly be an understatement. 'We must also hope that, when the dust settles, what we are left with in terms of the global trade position and the broader fall-out from all of this does not do too much damage to the real economy, in the UK, the US and globally. 'From a UK perspective, the last thing businesses and households need is even tougher times than those they have been enduring.' This article was first published in Business HQ Monthly
The Herald Scotland
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow Airport chief's flights news as transformation looms
Also encouraging was the determination and confidence of new Glasgow Airport chief Kam Jandu around building connectivity, as he highlighted key priorities on this front. Mr Jandu took over as chief executive of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports owner AGS earlier this year following AviAlliance's acquisition of AGS. The degree to which Edinburgh Airport has outperformed Glasgow Airport since around the turn of the millennium has been striking. Glasgow Airport's lack of direct North American flights contrasts starkly with the days when it had several flag carriers which operated services to the US and to Canada. And the days when Glasgow was Scotland's biggest airport, while also not really that long ago, seem like a distant memory in terms of its current passenger numbers relative to Edinburgh. Glasgow Airport, which it must be recognised has seen a strong rebound in its passenger numbers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, had around 8.2 million passengers last year. In 2024, Edinburgh became the first Scottish airport to ever exceed 15 million passengers in a year. AviAlliance, the wholly owned airports platform of one of Canada's largest pension investors, revealed its plans for the transformation of the main terminal building at Glasgow on Wednesday as it unveiled an overall £350 million investment in the growth and decarbonisation of its three UK airports over five years. And it seemed at pains, not surprisingly given the extent of the capital expenditure and its determination to drive passenger traffic growth, to highlight the scale of what it is planning at Glasgow Airport. AviAlliance declared its plans constituted the 'single largest capital investment programme in AGS since it was formed in 2014'. Read more It talked about creating 'best-in-class' operational and retail facilities at Glasgow Airport, and Mr Jandu also highlighted a drive to enhance dining options as the stops are pulled out to optimise the passenger experience. The project is expected to increase the space in Glasgow Airport's main terminal building by about 20%. Mr Jandu described the prospects of winning direct flights to North America as 'good' and highlighted talks taking place with US airlines. He also spoke about a need for 'more connectivity' with three key European hubs with which Glasgow already has connections: Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. This seems eminently sensible, given that these options may well be preferable to London Heathrow to many people when they are embarking on long-haul trips. Greater connectivity with the three key European hubs identified by Mr Jandu would certainly provide far more choice for travellers thinking about flying from Glasgow Airport to a raft of different destinations around the world. Mr Jandu meanwhile flagged Copenhagen, Madrid, Berlin and Milan as four examples of priorities for new direct flights from Glasgow. It would undoubtedly be good to have direct connections between Glasgow and these cities, and the aspiration of securing such links seems like a perfectly realistic one. Mr Jandu also revealed Glasgow Airport is in talks with Emirates about the airline increasing its daily service to Dubai to double-daily. Emirates currently operates a daily Airbus A380 service between Glasgow and Dubai. Read more Asked if a move to a double-daily service was likely to happen, Mr Jandu replied: 'The double-daily - with the A380 and a narrow body [plane] - yes, I can see that happening in the next two to three years. And to have the second daily as a wide body - probably five to six years' time.' It will be fascinating to watch the physical evolution of Glasgow Airport and how its endeavours in seeking new routes and increasing passenger numbers more generally work out. Bearing in mind the importance of airports to the economies and labour markets around them, the airport will hopefully enjoy a resurgence under its new ownership. Prestwick Airport has also been in the spotlight this week. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes highlighted the Scottish Government's 'very clear lines' that it wants Prestwick Airport to continue to operate as an airport after any sale. Ms Forbes said the Scottish Government continued to 'make progress' in terms of its aspirations to return Prestwick Airport, which it rescued in 2013 by buying the airport from Infratil of New Zealand for £1, to the private sector. She made these comments when asked about Prestwick during a visit to Glasgow Airport for the major investment announcement by AviAlliance. However, Ms Forbes said she was unable to provide an update on an 'active bid' for Prestwick Airport which was confirmed late last month by First Minister John Swinney - declaring that the matter was 'so commercially sensitive'. Asked about the importance of the jobs at Prestwick Airport and the employment supported by the airport, in the context of any potential sale, Ms Forbes replied: 'We have obviously saved Prestwick Airport more than a decade ago, precisely because of its strategic importance to the Scottish economy.' Prestwick Airport is certainly of great strategic importance. So it is reassuring to hear Ms Forbes emphasise the Scottish Government's 'very clear lines' about wanting it to continue as an airport after any sale.
Scottish Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Scots airport ‘in talks' to double daily service to popular destination
Other direct flights from Glasgow have been suggested GLASGOW airport is reportedly in talks with Emirates about doubling its daily service to Dubai. It's hoped the increase in flights could happen over the next two to three years. Advertisement 2 Glasgow Airport boss Kam Jandu hopes to increase flights to Dubai Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Glasgow Airport boss Kam Jandu said the current Dubai flight was 'a huge deal' for the airport and a 'feather in our cap', according to The Herald. The travel hub chief has also revealed his ambitions for other direct flights from Glasgow. Mr Jandu prioritised Copenhagen, Madrid, Berlin and Milan as four examples. Elsewhere a major airline has launched thousands of flights to and from Scotland next year. Advertisement Budget carrier easyJet unveiled more than 8,000 trips across its network, including 107 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Millions of seats across more than 138,000 flights between March 23 and June 14, 2026, including for next year's Easter holidays, are now available to book. Over 75,000 flights to and from the UK and over 8,000 flights and 1.5 million seats are now on sale to and from Scotland. Tour operator easyJet holidays is also offering thousands of package holidays for spring 2026 to over 100 beach and city destinations across Europe and North Africa. Advertisement Destinations include beach destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Antalya, Tenerife and Rhodes, and popular city escapes such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris. All packages include flights and hotel, with 23kg luggage and transfers on all beach getaways. Stomach-churning moment plane is forced to abort landing at Glasgow Airport during Storm Ashley Holidaymakers looking for inspiration can use easyJet's Low Fare Finder. Ali Gayward, easyJet's UK Country Manager, said: "We are very pleased to be putting our spring 2026 schedule on sale today, so that customers from Scotland can book early and enjoy low fares on thousands of flights and brilliant value package holidays for a spring break or Easter getaway. Advertisement "We are fully focused on providing low fares and with seats available from just £21.99 across thousands of flights on hundreds of routes to fantastic beach, ski and city destinations across Europe and North Africa, now is a great time to book with easyJet and easyJet holidays." It comes months after easyJet announced the launch of flights from Edinburgh Airport to the historic city of Bordeaux, France.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Glasgow Airport fightback begins with £350m investment
The new owners of Glasgow Airport have announced plans to drive a huge increase in passenger aims to add more than a million passengers per year by 2030, by boosting the number of short-haul holiday flights and and increasing its transatlantic company completed a deal to buy AGS - the owners of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports - in January for £ has now announced a £350m investment in the three sites - with the bulk of it going into Glasgow. 'Costing them money' AGS Airport CEO Kam Jandu hopes the investment will signal a new era for the terminal, which has lagged behind its east coast rival, Edinburgh Airport, since the sees budget airlines as a key to growth and wants to make it smoother for short-haul jets to land, turn around and take told BBC Scotland News: "For the low-cost airlines, it's key to them. If their airplane isn't in the air, it's costing them money."So they want to be able to touch down, disembark, then embark within the space of 35-40 minutes."That means re-arranging the stands at the terminal building so passengers can get on and off planes more goal is 5-6% growth in passenger numbers year-on-year, until Glasgow handles over 10 million passengers a year by well as European sunshine destinations, they want extra flights to America - and it seems Donald Trump's turbulent spell in the White House might enable that. Glasgow Airport struggled during was forced to shed thousands of staff when flights were grounded for months on then it has bounced back, but it still sits behind Edinburgh, which carried almost 16 million passengers last contrast, Glasgow airport expects 8.5 million passengers this there's catching up to new plans focus on improving the terminal building - more seats, shops, cafes and restaurants for waiting passengers in smarter is hoped that among them will be passengers from Glasgow postcodes who currently head east to Edinburgh to take a flight."Our goal is to regain share that we've lost to Edinburgh. We have the golden ingredient - demand, from the wider Glasgow catchment area," said Mr Jandu."We want to get back what we've lost, and also drive new markets to short-haul European destinations, which we haven't really recovered since Covid". The airport is eyeing up transatlantic flights too. They see Scottish passengers flying to America via Heathrow, and they want to offer a direct could Donald Trump's presidency put off Scottish passengers from travelling Stateside?"Yes it does concern me, but it lends itself to an opportunity," said the American airlines carrying fewer passengers to and from Canada, Mexico and Europe, aircraft are going these could potentially operate on routes to and from will tell how that works investment has been welcomed by the Scottish government. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes joined AGS bosses at the presence alone suggested a change of tone for the SNP government since it parted company from the Greens in government. The Greens were, and remain, unenthusiastic about air travel, because of the greenhouse gas emissions that go with Ms Forbes insisted this investment was compatible with Scotland achieving net zero by 2045."This is hugely exciting for Scotland", she said. "Our priority is to attract inward investment and see infrastructure develop."To see the level of investment here is exactly what we're trying to achieve as a government," she added that the extra spending would hopefully increase the number of routes."That will hopefully increase the number of people travelling - because we're a small nation, an island nation and therefore having that international connectivity is critical for our prosperity. "
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Major Scottish airport announces 'comprehensive transformation' of terminal
Biggest upgrade for 11 years to 'significantly enhance passenger experience' Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's second busiest air terminal is to undergo a 'comprehensive transformation' as part of a £350 million improvements package for the three airports owned by the AGS group. The upgrade to Glasgow's main terminal will create 'best in class operational and retail facilities' to 'significantly enhance the passenger experience', according to the company, which also runs Aberdeen and Southampton. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Departure Lounge at Glasgow Airport | Getty Images It is likely to be seen as a major shot in the arm for what was Scotland's pre-eminent airport until being eclipsed by Edinburgh in 2007, which now carries about twice as many passengers. AGS Airports' new chief has also pledged to 'strengthen our connectivity' in a signal of his determination to win new routes after airlines such as Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic switched their focus to Edinburgh. Glasgow boasts Scotland's only Airbus A380 'superjumbo' service - Emirates to Dubai - but has regular flights on only one route to the United States - Orlando - compared to seven from Edinburgh. Glasgow will also want to build on its advantage of having a more spacious terminal than its east coast rival, which has been criticised by some passengers for failing to keep up with its rapid growth to 16 million passengers a year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The biggest investment in the airports since AGS was formed 11 years ago, which was announced on Wednesday, follows the completion of its sale to airports group AviAlliance in January for £1.5 billion. The five-year spending programme will also include on Glasgow and Aberdeen's airfield infrastructure and 'energy efficiency initiatives', as well as redevelopment at Southampton Airport, which has been able to take larger aircraft since its runway was extended two years ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad AGS also announced its new chair as Charles Hammond, a former chief executive of Forth Ports, whose majority stakeholder is AviAlliance's Canadian pension firm owner, PSP Investments. Former Budapest Airport boss Kam Jandu, who became AGS chief executive in January, said: 'We have ambitious plans for the long-term, sustainable growth of our airports, including the strengthening of our connectivity, which underpins the success of the regions we serve. 'This significant investment will not only enhance the fabric of our airports, it will enhance the role they currently play in facilitating trade and tourism, and, importantly in generating meaningful employment across the country.' AviAlliance managing director Gerhard Schroeder said: 'This investment will assist AGS in accelerating its plans for delivering a superior passenger experience and growing connectivity.
