Glasgow Airport Movements 2017
February
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February 2017
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Glasgow International recorded its 47th consecutive month of growth and busiest ever January after 597,594 passengers travelled through the airport in January, representing a 8.4 per cent rise compared with the previous year. Throughout the month there was a substantial 16.1 per cent rise in the number of international passengers flying from Scotland’s largest city with Air France, Blue Air, Emirates, Ryanair and Wizz Air recording strong demand on their routes. Domestic traffic grew by 2 per cent.
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Another dull, wet and very mild winter month here with hardly a frost to contend with, let alone any snow falling on the immediate area. It wasn`t until `Storm Doris` hit UK shores during the early hours of the 23rd that Glasgow International got a light dusting, albeit the snow melted quickly. Significant amounts fell elsewhere though and this, along with driving sleet, rain and gales, caused disruption on the roads and railways across much of Britain and led to numerous ferry and flight cancellations.
Heathrow cancelled at least 77 flights, including some Glasgow connections, and numerous other airports were forced to adjust their schedules to take account of the conditions. A number of aircraft were forced to divert, including four which landed at Glasgow in the afternoon, the most notable being Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner A7-BCC which had been en route to Manchester from Doha. It stayed until 11:40 hrs the following morning. The others were SAS Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900LR OY-KFL (f/v) from Copenhagen to Newcastle and a pair of easyJet Airbuses from Spain: G-EZTF bound for Manchester and G-EZGD for Liverpool.
Although February is traditionally a quiet month movement-wise at Glasgow International, there were a few other visitors worth highlighting including this Luftwaffe VIP Airbus and a USAF C-146A Woflhound (see the Military Section below), yet another Mexico-based Aeromar Airlines` ATR turbo-prop, and a first visit by Dash 8 C-FEYG of Voyageur Airways.
"TO ALL PLANE WATCHERS - THIS IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND FOR YOUR SHIT, TAKE IT AND DUMP IT ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY - BE WARNED!"
In Walkinshaw Road, which runs along much of the northern boundary of the airport, there`s a hint that at least one local business owner is getting annoyed with some inconsiderate people in cars dropping litter outside his premises. This sign is fixed to the outside wall - looks like he`s identified the main suspects!
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On a worrying note, it was announced that laser pen attacks on aircraft flying into and from Glasgow International have doubled over the past year, making it the second most targeted airport in the U.K. after Heathrow. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data suggested there were 83 incidents at the airport in 2016, which is up from 44 the previous year. The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) said the rate of attacks was dangerously high and could soon result in a serious incident. Birmingham and Manchester also continued to experience high numbers of attacks whereas incidents at Edinburgh Airport dropped from 55 in 2015 to 44 the following year.
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"Runway inspection in progress."
Jet Airliners
Thomas Cook Airbus A321-211(SL) G-TCDN.
Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-FTO Ryanair (f/v), Embraer ERJ-170LR F-HBXN HOP! (f/v) and Boeing 737-8K2(WL) PH-BXA KLM (Retro colours) (1st); KLM`s PH-BXA again (2nd); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWA British Airways (3rd); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHB British Airways, Boeing 767-304(ER)(WL) G-OBYE Thomson, Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-FTR Ryanair (f/v) (4th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHA British Airways, Thomson 767 G-OBYE and Airbus A320-214(WL) D-AIZR Eurowings (Borussia Dortmund livery) (f/v) (5th); Embraer ERJ-190LR F-HBLF HOP! (f/v), Thomson Boeing 767 G-OBYE arrived in the morning and took off late evening for Dubai (6th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWB British Airways (9th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHB British Airways (10th)...
easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZAZ on approach for Runway `05` on Thursday 9 February.
Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHA British Airways, Airbus A320-232(SL) HA-LYG Wizz Air `Budapest colours` and Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-FTS Ryanair (f/v) (11th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWZ BA (12th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHB BA, Airbus A319-112 D-AKNU Germanwings (f/v) and Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-DCL in Dreamliner livery (13th); Boeing 767 G-OBYE Thomson Airways (14th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWA BA (15th); Boeing 767 G-BNWZ BA (16th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHC BA (17th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWZ British Airways and G-BZHB (n/s) plus United Airlines Boeing 757-224(WL) N14120 in Star Alliance colours (18th); Boeing 767s G-OBYE Thomson and G-BZHA BA (19th); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWX British Airways, Boeing 737-8K2(WL) PH-BXA KLM Retro colours, Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIU Icelandair Aurora Borealis livery and Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-FTA Ryanair (f/v) (20th)...
Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHC British Airways, Boeing 737 PH-BXA KLM Retro colours and Embraer ERJ-190STD PH-EZX KLM Cityhopper Skyteam colours (21st); Boeing 767 G-BNWX BA (22nd); Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BZHC BA, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner A7-BCC Qatar Airways and Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900LR OY-KFL (f/v) SAS (23rd); Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-EMI Ryanair National Express livery and easyJet A320-214(WL) G-EZOI which was a Luton to Keflavik wind diversion (24th); Boeing 767 G-OBYG Thomson (25th); Boeing 767-319(ER)(WL) TF-ISP (f/v) Icelandair, a New York JFK to Kelflavik weather diversion, and Boeing 737-33A(QC) G-POWC Titan Airways operating a Van Air flight (26th); TF-ISP took off at 06:00 hrs. Noteworthy arrivals were BA Boeing 767 G-BNWA, Thomson Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-TUIA plus easyJet Airbus A320-214 G-EZPK and Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS(WL) EI-FTW both (f/v) (27th); First visits by easyJet A320-214 G-EZPW and Ryanair 737s EI-FTT and EI-FTY (28th).
Boeing 757-28A(WL) G-OOBD is one of the first Thomson Airways airliners to appear at Glasgow with shiny new TUI titles in preparation for rebranding later this year. The UK’s largest tour operator will sign-off after six decades in July when the German-based travel firm TUI will drop the Thomson and First Choice travel brands in a revamp of its business. The TUI Group, which has 30 million customers, as well as more than 300 hotels, 136 planes and 1,800 shops across Europe, plans to sell its holidays under a single name. Regional brands in the Netherlands and France will be phased out first with the UK's First Choice and Thomson, being the last to go because of their size.
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On Wednesday 15 February, my attention was focused on the bulk carrier Bora as she approached the Titan Crane and I didn`t have time to change lenses to catch the afternoon Shuttle, Boeing 767-336(ER) G-BNWA, on finals together with the full-framed ship. The vessel dates from 2010 and is a product of the Xinlian Shipbuilding Yard in Wuhu, China. She had sailed to the Clyde from Dumai, Indonesia, with a cargo of animal feed in the form of palm kernels. Greenock-based tugs Svitzer Milford and CMS Warrior escorted her upriver on the last stage of her journey to the quayside at Shieldhall.
Jet2 Holidays Boeing 737-8K5(WL) G-GDFW took me to Majorca on the 27th for a week-long break, staying at the Hotel Marina Luz in Ca`n Pastilla, close to Palma Airport. Click here to view.
Emirates Airlines Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-ENE is seen here taxiing to stand after landing on Wednesday 15 February.
Snapped on approach for `05` on the 9th was Emirates Triple-Seven A6-EGT. One of Glasgow Flying Club`s Cessna 152s can be seen in front of Ben Lomond, heading in the opposite direction. It was circling around to line up and follow the big jet`s course in for landing. The visibility from a photographic point of view could have been better as the overcast conditions resulted in some grey and grainy images.
Eurowings Airbus A320-214(WL) D-AEWJ landed just as the haze began to clear on the 15th.
United Airlines Boeing 757-224(WL) N14118 arrives from Newark on Friday 24th.
Emirates Triple-Seven A6-EGR taking off on the 16th.
Ryanair 737 EI-DPH burns rubber on touch down, Friday 10 February.
Air Transat A310-308 C-GSAT heads back to Canada on Thursday 16 February.
Queuing up for a `05` departure, Thursday 9 February. NetJets` Global 6000 CS-GLA is parked on Taxiway `Y`.
Icelandair`s TF-FIU in the Aurora Borealis livery always turns heads when it appears.
A Sunday HOP! over the Glasgow Tomahawks!
Wizz Air Airbus A320-232(WL) HA-LYL setting off for Warsaw on the 4th.
Emirates Triple-Seven A6-EBO vacates at `Alpha One` after landing on the 13th.
Prop-liners
Company demonstrator ATR-72-600 F-WWEZ had arrived on 31 January, finally departing Glasgow at 10:25 hrs on Thursday 2 February.
Company demonstrator ATR-72-600 F-WWEZ had arrived on 31 January, finally departing Glasgow at 10:25 hrs on Thursday 2 February. It visited several Scottish airfields, primarily for Loganair executives to evaluate the type as a possible replacement for its Saab 340 / 2000 turboprops currently in service. A number of pilots are already questioning the ATR`s suitability for the role as it performs poorly in crosswinds, a regular hazard in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
US-registered Beech 1900D N172MJ arrived at 20:30 hrs on 31 January and departed the following morning. This model is a 19-passenger, pressurised twin-engine turboprop which was originally designed as a regional airliner, however, it`s also used for freight and as a corporate transport. Several governmental and military organisations have the type in their inventories, but with customers favouring larger regional jets, Raytheon ended production of the Beech 1900 in October 2002. The shot below shows the aircraft, which belongs to Erickson Helicopters, lining up at the `05` threshold on the morning of 1 February.
Flybe Bombardier DHC-8-Q-402 G-JECJ is pictured here coming in to land on the 16th.
Glasgow has seen more than its fair share of Mexican-registered ATR Turboprops recently with three passing through on delivery to Aeromar Airlines last December. ATR 42-600s XA-UYK and XA-UYL, plus ATR 72-600 XA-UYM all stopped here to refuel during a ferry flight from the ATR production plant in Toulouse.
The latest to appear, ATR 42-500 XA-TAH, was heading in the opposite direction, returning to France after its lease had expired. It landed at 13:50 hours on Saturday 4 February and is seen here manoeuvring to park on Area` Juliet.` The timing was perfect as it allowed me to get back home in time to watch Scotland achieve a superb victory over Ireland in their opening Rugby Six Nations match at Murrayfield.
On its way back to Toulouse-Blagnac, the aircraft`s first stop after leaving Mexico was just inside the US border at McAllen, South Texas, followed by Raleigh-Durham Airport, North Carolina, then Goose Bay, Labrador, before transiting through Reykjavik. Unlike the first three Aeromar ATRs which only stayed on the ground at Glasgow for around 90 minutes, this one didn`t depart until 19:15 hrs.
Other noteworthy turboprops during the month were DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 G-PRPJ Flybe (f/v) (9th); All-white DHC-8-314 Dash 8 C-FEYG Voyageur Airways (f/v) made an hour-long stop around lunchtime. Another one of this Canadian airlines all-white Dash 8s, C-FNCU, with `United Nations` titles, stopped for a refuel last month, on Thursday 19 January (14th); Flybe Dornier 328-110 G-CCGS made a change from the airline`s Dash 8s on the 20th;
This shot of Flybe Dash 8 G-JECL with George Best nose art was taken on the 10th.
Stobart Air ATR 72-600 EI-FSK.
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Flybe`s G-JECN about to touch-down on `23`.
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On the 28th, Sprint Air's Polish-registered Saab 340 SP-KPR (f/v) operated a flight on behalf of Czech passenger carrier Van Air Europe following the recent suspension of the Isle of Man-based airline's operating certificate by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Van Air planes fly for the 'virtual' airline Citywing, however, this authority was withdrawn and one of the L410 Turbolet fleet, OK-LAZ, was ordered to shut down engines on the IOM's runway following concerns raised during an attempted landing at Belfast City Airport. It's understood that the incident, which took place on Thursday 23 February at the height of Storm Doris, relates to flying when conditions were unsafe. Meanwhile, Citywing announced that flights could be booked as normal, following the chartering of Titan Airways 737 G-POWC and an arrangement with Denmark's North Flying.
Thursday 16 February: Loganair Saab 200 G-LGNT about to land on `23` while Emirates Triple-Seven A6-EGR approaches `Alpha One`.
Around 09:00 hrs on Monday 27 February, while waiting to board a flight to Palma, I saw Flybe Dash 8 G-ECOG abort its approach and land after a go-around. The Fire & Rescue Service met it on the taxiway alongside the Loganair hangar and after checks a tug towed the aircraft to stand. I presume the pilot had reported a technical issue while on finals.
Biz-Jets
Above: This is the executive ramp on the morning of Wednesday 1 February: Citation Mustang OE-FTS (f/v) had just arrived while Gulfstream 200 G-GZOO and Cessna Citation Mustang G-FFFC were both night-stoppers from 31 January as was Beech 1900D N172MJ on the far right. Also still present from last month was Dassault Falcon 2000 N215RE which was `tucked up` inside the Gama Aviation hangar. Other corporate jets visiting during February 2017 were...
Gates Learjet 25D N304VS, Gulfstream G150 D-CGEP and Citation Mustang G-FFFC (2nd); Gulfstream G650ER M-YSIX (f/v) (above), Cessna 525 CitationJet M2 N902MZ and Citation Mustang G-FFFC (3rd); Bombardier Challenger 605 M-FRZN of Iceland Frozen Foods Ltd and Embraer Phenom 300 G-JMBO (4th); Cessna Citation Excel SE-RHJ and Citation II G-SPUR (5th); Embraer Phenom 300 D-ILAP (f/v), plus Cessna Citation Excels G-SIRS and G-IPAX (6th); Bombardier Global 6000s CS-GLD (f/v) qnd CS-GLA both NetJets Europe, Citation XLS G-CXLS, Citation Excel G-IPAX and Citation Mustang G-FFFC (8th); Mustang G-FFFC (9th)...
Thursday 9 February: On lifting-off from `05` Global 6000 CS-GLA of NetJets climbs steeply towards the snow covered Campsie Fells. The distinctive dome of Dumgoyne, a volcanic plug, is on the left. The hill is 427 m (1,401 ft) high and the summit, which makes an excellent vantage point, is coveniently reached from a path beside Glengoyne Distillery or via a water-board track from the village of Strathblane three miles to the east.
Swedish-registered Citation Excel SE-RHJ. Sunday 5 February 2017.
Embraer Phenom 300 G-JMBO and Cessna Citation XLS G-ZENT Zenith Aviation (12th); Citation XLS+ D-CGAA Air Hamburg (13th); Citation Bravo G-CGEI (above) and Bombardier Global 6000 EC-LTF (14th); Citation Mustang G-FFFC (15th); Learjet 40 CS-TFO (f/v) and Mustang G-FFFC (16th); Cessna 680A Citation Latitude CS-LTB (f/v), Gulfstream V-SP (G550) N83CW (f/v) and Bombardier Challenger 350 9H-VCC Vistajet (17th); Embraer Phenom 300 G-JMBO (19th); CitationJet CJ2 D-ILAM (f/v) (20th); CJ2 D-ILAM returned for 30 minutes, late afternoon (21st); Dassault Falcon 7X OO-NAD plus Mustang G-FFFC (22nd); Learjet 45 LX-ONE(f/v) (23rd); Bombardier Challenger 350 9H-VCN, Learjet 45 C-GMCP of Skyservice Business Aviation, Citation Mustang G-FFFC and Citation XLS+ G-CHUI (24th); Learjet 45 D-CDOC and Atlas Air Service Embraer Legacy 450 D-BFIL (f/v) (25th); Bombardier Global 6000 CS-GLC NetJets Europe (26th); Dassault Falcon 7X N250LG and Gulfstream 150 D-CGEP (28th).
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This pair of biz-jets from the Portuguese register were on the ground together first thing on Friday the 17th. Citation Latitude CS-LTB took off at 10:15 hrs that morning and, climbing steeply, was almost hidden in the low cloud by the time it was parallel with the Loganair hangar. Learjet CS-TFO didn`t depart until 09:20 hrs on the 18th.
One from the Belgian Register: Dassault Falcon 7X OO-NAD arrived during the morning of the 22nd.
General Aviation
Pretty quiet on the GA front: Beech 1900D N172MJ was a stop-over from 31 January, plus King Air 200 G-CEGP (1st); King Air 200 G-BVMA (2nd); King Air 200s G-WNCH, G-CWCD and G-BVMA, plus Eurocopter EC135-T2+ G-SCAA (3rd); King Air 100 N3534 (4th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti M-ONTE, King Air 90GTi M-TSRI and Sikorsky S-92A G-MCGL HM Coastguard (6th); King Air M-WATJ and Coastguard S-92A G-MCGL (7th); SOCATA TBM-930 G-WMRN (f/v) and Piaggio P-180 M-ONTE (8th); P-180 M-ONTE and Robinson R-66 Turbine G-OHAS (9th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti M-GCAP (11th); SOCATA TBM-900 N629MA (f/v) (13th); King Air 200 G-FLYW and Sikorsky S-92A G-MCGL HM Coastguard (18th); Sikorsky S-92A G-MCGG HM Coastguard (21st); Piaggio P-180 M-ONTE and AS355N Ecureuil G-OLCP (23rd); King Air 200 G-ZVIP (24th); Sikorsky S-92A G-MCGL HM Coastguard (26th); King Air 200GT M-WATJ (28th).
This truck, which looks like an ex-Airport Fire & Rescue Service machine, is now in the compound to the west of the Loganair hangar. It was until recently parked just inside the perimeter fence at the opposite end of the airfield near the boathouse road. The extendable arm supports a bank of floodlights and it has been used in ongoing runway re-surfacing operations. The work takes place during the hours of darkness and another identical truck was moved from the vicinity of the boathouse to the same location the following day.
King Air G-SASD heading to the Gama hangar after landing on the 4th.
Military
German Air Force A319-133(CJ) 15+01 (serial number 3897) was a surprise visitor on Monday 20 February. The VIP transport, which is one of a pair of this version of Airbus currently in service with the Luftwaffe, touched down just after 14:00 hrs and night-stopped, parking beside the control tower. The aircraft departed at 09:15 hrs on Tuesday morning, using the call-sign `German Air Force 848`.
Below: USAF Dornier C-146A Woflhound 15-3086 touched down at 19:15 hrs on Thursday 23 February and parked up on Taxiway `Y`. The C-146A is the military version of the twin-engine Dornier 328 turboprop commuter airliner modified to permit cargo and CASEVAC missions. The type has been continuously deployed since October 2011 and can carry a maximum of 27 passengers or 6,000 pounds of cargo, or up to four stretcher patients.
I believe this aircraft belongs to a unit based at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, which hosts the 524th Special Operations Squadron. This unit plans and executes specialised operations using advanced aircraft, tactics and air refuelling techniques to infiltrate, resupply and recover special operations forces (SOF) as well as provide them with intelligence, reconnaissance and close air support. Consequently, a variety of other aircraft types are stationed at Cannon, including the AC-130W Stinger II and CV-22 Osprey. Wolfhound 15-3086 left Glasgow International about 10:30 hrs on Saturday 25th.
Finally - A Few From Prestwick...
I made a brief stop at Prestwick on Tuesday 7 February on what was a very wet morning. Although the weather was abysmal with a steady downpour, two large military C-17 transports were ample consolation for getting a bit wet, albeit they were parked up and the shots obtained were grainy. This Kuwait Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, serial F-266 with registration KAF 343, has visited Prestwick on numerous occasions but this was the first time I`d seen it. The aircraft, which departed later, had been on the ground since Thursday 2 February.
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It`s not very often that you get the chance to capture a Scottish heron and a Kuwaiti Air Force Globemaster in the same frame!
Canadian Armed Forces Boeing CC-177 (C-17A) Globemaster III 177704. USAF Boeing C-40B, serial number 01-0040 landed about half an hour after I left.
The only other movements seen were Reims Cessna 406 G-RVLW, Pilatus PC-12 HB-FQL and a buzzard!
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February 2017
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