Glw Apt 2019 July

July and August are traditionally peak months for holiday traffic but with the vast majority of flights from Glasgow setting off during the hours of darkness or first thing in the morning, there were afternoons when only a handful of aircraft were on stand and periods with very little airliner activity. In contrast to Edinburgh Airport`s continuing growth, C.A.A. stats released for June 2019 show that Glasgow experienced yet another fall, this time a reduction of 9,250 passengers, down 7.3% compared with last June. This gives a rolling 12-month total of 9.28m, which is 5.6% less than the same period in 2018. The A380 has fast become a familiar sight here and still attracts spotters and families but usually just a handful at a time compared with the early days after the service was launched, unless of course the aircraft has one of Emirates` special liveries. One positive illustrated by June`s stats is that despite direct competition from Edinburgh on the Glasgow - Dubai route, Glasgow saw a passenger increase of 5% at 37.3k, and that`s with an A380 and a Triple-seven to fill each day. This contrasts with another established destination, Florida, with Orlando International Airport experiencing a reduction of 19% and Orlando Sanford dropping by a whopping 29%.

To The Moon and Back: 50 Years on

This month people across the globe celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. Originally inspired by the US's Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union and competition in what became known as the `Space Race`, the mission was a monumental success ranked as one of man`s most magnificent achievements. On 20 July 1969, the Eagle module from Apollo 11 landed at Tranquility Base. and hours later, at 21:56 CT (02:56 GMT), Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first human being to walk on the Moon`s surface.

The phrases "The Eagle has landed" relayed to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, when the module settled on the surface and "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," uttered by Apollo 11 Commander Armstrong as he set foot on the moon, were immediately immortalised. Armstrong was joined on the mission by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, all of whom were born in 1930. Aldrin and Collins are still alive, but Armstrong died in 2012 at the age of 82.

Aldrin became the second person to walk on the Moon, joining Armstrong 19 minutes later and assisted his commander in planting the US flag, deploying equipment and sensors, as well as collecting rock and soil samples. Left to right in this NASA publicity photo are: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin.

The Saturn V rocket containing the crew was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida where it can be seen today. I`ve visited the centre several times over the years but don`t have any images of the massive 3-stage heavy launch vehicle worth uploading as I shot mainly video footage at the time. It doesn`t matter though as NASA have made these superb photos, which are part of a much larger batch available for download, although I did take the shot of the moon this month from my front window...

Hasselblad cameras were used to capture the iconic images of the astronauts on the moon and the one used by Armstrong's was thought to have been lost or left behind. However, in 2015, three years after Armstrong`s death, his widow contacted the National Air and Space Museum to inform them she had found a white cloth bag in one of her husband`s closets. The bag contained a forgotten camera that had been used during the mission. This camera is currently on display at the said museum, but 12 Hasselblads were left on the surface of the Moon, as only the film magazines were retrieved and brought back to earth.

If anything, the safe return of Armstrong and Aldrin to the Command Module Columbia, then all three astronauts` safe return to earth was potentially more of a challenge than the landing itself. However, after some technical issues and very tense moments, Eagle lifted-off, rendezvoused with Columbia, and successfully docked. Thereafter the crew prepared for re-entry.

After lifting-off from the moon`s surface, Eagle's ascent stage approaches Columbia.

The aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) had been selected as the primary recovery ship (PRS) for the Columbia module and before dawn on July 24, she launched four Sea King helicopters and three Grumman E-1 Tracers. This photo from the US Navy Archives, taken well before the event, shows a helicopter crew and divers practising rescue procedures with Hornet in the background. On the day, the Sea Kings were in position to witness the tiny spaceship appear and deploy it`s drogue chutes to slow its descent as it plummeted back to earth. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean seven minutes later. Columbia landed upside down but was righted within ten minutes by flotation bags activated by the astronauts. A diver from the Navy helicopter hovering above attached a sea anchor to prevent it from drifting. Additional divers attached flotation collars to stabilise the module and positioned rafts for astronaut extraction. Strict quarantine procedures were followed from this point and after the occupants were safely on board the helicopter the raft was intentionally sunk. The module, however, was of course recovered.

The Essex-class carrier Hornet had a long and eventful career. Built for United States Navy (USN) during World War II and completed in late 1943, she was assigned to the Pacific Theatre.

In early 1944, she participated in attacks on Japanese installations in New Guinea, Palau and Truk among others. Hornet then took part in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June that was nicknamed the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" due to the disproportionate losses inflicted upon the Japanese by American aircraft. The ship then participated in various operations including the Philippines Campaign, but was badly damaged by a typhoon in June 1945 and had to return to the United States for repairs.

Having been placed in reserve in 1946, Hornet was reactivated during the Korean War of 1950–1953, but spent the time being modernised to accommodate jet-propelled aircraft. The carrier was upgraded again in the late 1950s for service as an anti-submarine carrier and played a minor role in the early stages of the Vietnam War. In addition to recovering the Apollo 11 crew, she did the same for the Apollo 12 astronauts on their return from the Moon. Hornet was decommissioned in 1970 and in 1998 she opened to the public as the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California.

After touchdown on Hornet, the recovery helicopter was lowered by elevator into the hangar bay, where the Apollo 11 astronauts walked the 30 feet (9.1 m) to the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF), where they would begin the Earth-based portion of their 21 days of quarantine. US President Richard Nixon welcomed the men back to Earth and told them: "As a result of what you've done, the world has never been closer together before."

Back to 2019 on Planet Earth...

The above sequence shows TUI Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-TUII departing Glasgow Airport via Runway 23 on Saturday 13 July.

Rising Temperatures

On Thursday 25 July the UK recorded its hottest day ever, with the temperature at Cambridge University reaching 38.7C (101.7F), beating the previous UK high of 38.5C (101.3F), set in Kent in 2003. A Met Office official was sent to check the equipment before verifying the new record. The sweltering heat sparked travel chaos across the UK, with many rail operators urging passengers not to travel as services were delayed and many trains cancelled. Derailment due to buckled lines was a real concern and overhead electric cables sagged in the heat so trains were forced to run at half their normal speed throughout much of southern England amidst a MET Office yellow warning for thunderstorms.

Strawberry pickers at east Yonderton Farm.

Travel disruption continued into the following day with passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports among those affected. All-time temperature records tumbled again on the European mainland with Paris seeing thermometers reaching 42.6C. Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany were among those countries experiencing their hottest day ever.

Things really heated up towards the end of the month, not only weather-wise but politically with the record breaking temperatures coinciding with Boris Johnson taking over as Prime Minister from Theresa May. The latest chapter in the Brexit fiasco saw Bo Jo promising to deliver the United Kingdom`s exit from the European Union by 31 October this year, following the referendum held on 23 June 2016 in which 51.9 percent of those voting elected to leave.

On Monday 29 July, Boris made his inaugural trip to Scotland as PM. He visited several places including the Clyde Submarine Base at Faslane (below) in an attempt to reassure the Armed Forces personnel and civilian workers that their jobs would be safeguarded, come what may. (No pun intended).

These widely circulated press photos with Bo Jo`s left arm extended and his hand poised seem to illustrate that he`s not totally sure how his efforts to secure an amicable solution in the limited time remaining will fare - will it be a `thumbs-up` or `thumbs-down?`I`d imagine most would bet on the latter but it`s certainly going to interesting! Bringing the new Prime Minister to Glasgow was RAF BAe 146-100 CC.2 ZE700 (above) a.k.a `Bor Force One`, but rather than park up on the Royal Pan, it positioned on a remote stand close to the tower, well out of camera (and heckling) range. BAe 146 ZE701 (not photographed) appeared later the same day.

The Dangers of Sunbathing

Back in June, on the afternoon of Sunday 30th, the body of a suspected stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways airliner when the landing gear was deployed as it made its approach into Heathrow Airport. The deceased male plummeted into a London garden in Clapham just before 15:40 hrs, narrowly missing a resident who was sunbathing there. One neighbour described hearing a “whomp” as the body hit the ground and pictures from the scene showed the crater caused by the impact.

The jet was on a flight from Nairobi and according to data from flightradar24.com, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had been at an altitude of 3,500 feet as it flew over the street. A Scotland Yard source said a bag, water and some food were discovered in the landing gear compartment of the plane when it arrived at Heathrow, but given the extreme temperatures as the aircraft climbed to its cruising altitude, it is doubtful that the person, if not already crushed when the wheels retracted, would have survived for long after takeoff.

RIAT Fairford 2019

This year`s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was held at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire over the weekend of Friday 19 July - Sunday 21 July 2019 and, having attended two previous events (2014 and 2016) on the Saturday only, I decided on the Saturday / Sunday to make the long journey more worthwhile. I was fortunate I didn`t include the Friday as heavy rain and thunderstorms meant very few flights and many of the static aircraft stayed under wraps.

The RIAT is a very impressive airshow, ranked as one of the best not only in the UK but in Europe and beyond with a lengthy flying programme and around 200 - 300 aircraft to be seen over the event`s duration (including arrival and departure days). This year there was some blue sky on Saturday which was excellent for photography but Sunday, although dry with a promising start, remained overcast. The planes including the various display teams were able to perform their full `high-level` routines but against a grey background. Also, Sunday`s flying was basically a re-hash of Saturday`s aircraft in a different order but without the set-piece flypasts - a situation which attracted a lot of adverse comments on social media. Even so, there were plenty of highlights. A dedicated page complete with many more high-res shots can be viewed here: RIAT 2019.

Strikes at Glasgow Airport

An industrial dispute which threatened to cause major disruption at Glasgow Airport is over. Unite confirmed that their members voted to accept a revised offer put to them by management in a bid to end the deadlock over pensions. A series of strikes had been planned for this month which could have disrupted the travel plans of thousands of holidaymakers. A number of strikes have already taken place this year, plus several others had been been called off at the last minute for discussions between the opposing sides, but with a negative outcome, so this is welcome news for all concerned, especially passengers.

About 400 union members took part in voting over a six day period. A union spokesman said: "Unite can confirm today that following a consultative ballot of Unite members at Glasgow Airport its membership have voted to accept the revised offer put to them by management. This now ends the dispute at Glasgow Airport."

Loganair Branches Out

On Thursday 4 July 2019, scheduled passenger flights returned to Carlisle Lake District Airport for the first time in more than 25 years thanks to Loganair. The city of Carlisle lies 10 miles (16 km) south of the Scottish border, originally in the historic county of Cumberland, but is now the largest settlement in the county of Cumbria. Airport owner Stobart Group had planned to relaunch services in June 2018, but faced problems recruiting sufficient numbers of air traffic control staff. (Carlisle Airport image © Mirror Group).

Now Scottish-based carrier Loganair has launched routes to Dublin, Belfast and London Southend from the airport which is a gateway to the Lake District, northern England and Scotland`s Borders Region. It`s hoped the new flights will encourage thousands of tourists to use Carlisle Airport as a springboard for exploring the surrounding countryside which holds numerous attractions. I`ve included several examples, all of which are in the airport`s county of Cumbria...

Carlisle itself is worth a look, particularly its imposing castle. The city has been fought over many times throughout the centuries and periodically occupied by invading Scots. The stronghold was built by William II, also known as William Rufus, in 1092 to secure his claims on Cumberland and Westmorland, territory which his northern neighbours had previously considered to be part of Scotland. Rufus was the third son of William the Conqueror. The site chosen for the castle was a strong defensive position overlooking the River Eden where an old Roman fort once stood. In 1122, the initial castle was superseded by a stone castle built on the orders of Henry I of England who also had protective walls built around Carlisle city.

The large keep dates from the 12th century and is consequently the oldest surviving part of the castle. It served as the Royal Palace of David I and centuries later, during the Jacobite Rebellion, Scots prisoners were held in one of the rooms.

In 1568, Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here for a time and the ruins of Queen Mary's Tower, where she was held, are in the far north-east corner. `Lady's Walk` also lies within the castle walls, a reference to the only area where Mary was allowed to exercise during her captivity.

Housed in one of the castle buildings is the Regimental Museum of the King's Own Border Regiment. The barrack blocks and officers` quarters are named after famous battles. The Border Regiment Museum relates the history of Cumbria`s County Infantry Regiment, the Border Regiment and the King`s Own Border Regiment. Displays include uniforms, medals, weapons and equipment including a 25-Pounder Field Gun from 1940 and Ferret Scout Car.

Hadrian`s Wall, built to guard against invasion from the north, became the most heavily fortified border in the Roman Empire. The Birdoswald complex occupies a strong defensive position in the western section of the wall above the gorge of the River Irthing near Brampton, which is close to Carlisle Airport. The adjacent sections of wall here are remarkably well preserved and the fort`s elevated position shows them to advantage. The site is currently under the care of English Heritage and there is a Visitor Centre and museum which is open throughout the summer and weekends only in winter.

West of Carlisle, is Burgh by Sands (pronounced `bruff`), an English village close to the south shore of the Solway Firth. `Bruff` is best-known as the location where King Edward I, Longshanks, died, encamped with his army on the marshes just north of the village. Longshanks, also known as `the Hammer of the Scots`, had been heading north to Scotland to suppress the rebellion led by Robert the Bruce but was seriously ill even before he set off. Edward I`s body was stored temporarily in the village church before being transferred to Westminster Abbey.

This monument, surprisingly erected way back in 1685, marks the spot where the English King died. At the time of his death, on 7 July 1307, he was 68 years old. In 2007, this bronze statue of Edward I was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Kent to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Longshanks` death. It stands on the village green.

Also situated entirely in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and covers an area of 2,362 square kilometres making it England`s largest. Now a World Heritage Site, `The Lakes` is an extremely popular year-round holiday destination with thriving communities such as Keswick and Bowness-on-Windermere. All the land in England at or above 3,000 feet (914 m) lies within the Park`s boundaries including Scafell Pike (978 m), the highest mountain in England. It also contains the deepest and largest natural lakes in England, Wast Water and Windermere respectively. I haven`t climbed any of the Lakeland hills but ran the 14 miles round Coniston lake years ago competing in the Coniston 14 Road Race. Ullswater, which many regard as the most beautiful of the English lakes, is pictured below.

The following shot on the left shows Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick, just one of 50 such prehistoric monuments in the county. The circle, approximately 30 metres in diameter, comprises of 38 stones with an inner rectangle made up of a further 10 standing stones. The tallest stone is 2.3 metres high and the heaviest is estimated to weigh around 16 tons. The monument was probably built around 3000 BC, at the beginning of the later Neolithic Period, and consequently is one of the earliest stone circles not only in Britain but in Europe. Blencathra (868m) is the mountain rising in the background. The adjacent image shows Bassenthwaite Lake.

Passenger flights at Carlisle Airport ceased in 1993, although the airport remained as a busy general aviation field with numerous private aircraft and flying schools based there. It`s also used often by the military, particularly when a major exercise such as Joint Warrior is taking place. The new passenger service was only made possible after the airport operators were given £4.75 million by Cumbria's Local Enterprise Partnership in 2017 to upgrade the terminal and runway. Initially there will be 28 Loganair flights per week, all of which will be flown by 33-seater Saab 340 aircraft but additional routes may be added if the venture proves a success.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of Loganair Embraer ERJ-145EUs snapped at Glasgow International on the morning of of 7 July: Tartan-liveried G-SAJF is seen here heading for `Alpha One` to line up for departure. All-white G-SAJG (below) was making its first visit to Glasgow following its re-registration.

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On 17 July, the Scottish Government revealed that several bids to buy ailing Prestwick Airport had been submitted, An undisclosed number of expressions of interest to acquire the South Ayrshire complex were received by the 15 July deadline and officials said these would be evaluated. It`s likely that as many as three of the prospective owners will be asked to lodge full offers. The preferred bidder is due to be selected around 6 September and the sale completed around 4 October, according to the sale documents.

Ministers have always maintained the debt-ridden airport would be returned to the private sector after the Scottish Government bought it for just £1 in 2013 to avert closure, saving hundreds of jobs in the process. However, the sale announcement last month came as a surprise since several businesses have already expressed interest in buying Prestwick Airport over the past few years. The Scottish Government has insisted it has not already lined-up a buyer and denies merely going through the formal sale process to comply with procedure. A spokesperson refused to clarify whether a buyer would be required to repay the £39.9 million of Scottish Government loans pumped in so far to keep the airport functioning.

Ryanair is Prestwick Airport’s sole remaining airline, flying some 670,000 passengers last year, the airport’s lowest annual figure for 20 years. It compares to Glasgow’s total of nearly ten million and Edinburgh’s 14.3 million in 2018. Some aviation insiders are sceptical about whether a sale of the 880-acre site could be secured due to intense competition from Glasgow and Edinburgh and a slowing economic outlook. However, Prestwick is expanding cargo and military flights, and still hopes to eventually be licensed as a spaceport for horizontal launches, and become a logistics hub for the expansion of Heathrow.

Yodelling-up a Flypast!

On Saturday 6 July 2019, the “Patrouille Suisse” Display Team, the Swiss Air Force’s version of the Red Arrows, delighted crowds at a yodelling festival with an impressive display - the only problem being that they should have been somewhere else!

The team, pictured here performing at RIAT Fairford in 2014, had been due to fly over Langenbruck near Basel to honour the centenary of Swiss aviation pioneer Oskar Bider (12 July 1891-7 July 1919), but flew over the nearby town of Mümliswil by mistake which was hosting the 31st Northwest Yodelling Festival.

A spokesman for the Swiss Defence Ministry apologised for the error. Bider, who was born in Langenbruck, was the first person to fly over the Alps in both directions, a feat he accomplished in 1913 at the age of 22. Apparently the display team`s squadron leader saw the tent set up for the yodelling festival which was roughly 6km (4 miles) west of the town, and misdirected the jets. A spokesman for the Swiss military told the German language Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper that the F-5E Tiger II aircraft were not equipped with GPS technology - oops!

The following shot, which I took some years ago, shows an operational F-5 banking in front of the snow-plastered peaks of the Lauterbrunnen Valley in deteriorating conditions. I was 3,000 metres up at the revolving restaurant on the summit of the Schilthorn which, weather permitting, affords superb views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau directly opposite.

I`d been photographing Bearded Vultures, also known as Lammergeier, so the appearance of the fighter jet was an unexpected bonus. Lammergeier are rare in Europe being found mainly in the Spanish Pyrenees and mountainous parts of Greece but reintroduction schemes have been successful in Switzerland and Italy, although at the time there was thought to be only a few pairs of these magnificent birds in the Bernese Alps.

The wingspan of an adult Lammergeier can reach almost 3 metres, and despite the birds`comparative rarity, visitors to the Schilthorn regularly see Lammergeiers patrolling their territory, often flying close to the viewing terrace apparently as curious as their human observers. They feed almost exclusively off the carcasses of dead animals such as Chamois and will carry off bones to a great height and drop them causing them to smash on the rocks so the birds can access the marrow.

Jet Airliners

Virgin 747-443 G-VLIP arrives at Glasgow on Friday 26 July.

Airbus A380-861 A6-EDR touches down on Runway 23 on Saturday 13 July.

George Washington`s Air Force!

Boeing 757-224(WL) N19130 of United Airlines is pictured above, ready to head back to Newark, New Jersey, on 5 July. Just a day before, US President Donald Trump made one of his classic bloopers during his Independence Day speech. He told crowds on 4 July that the Continental Army (led by George Washington) "took over the airports" during the American Revolutionary War (19 April 1775 - 3 September 1783). Referring to the year 1775 in his `Salute to America` address at the Lincoln Memorial, he said: "Our army manned the air, it ran the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do." Mr Trump also appeared to date a battle at Fort McHenry to the American Revolution, when it had actually unfolded decades later during the War of 1812.

When challenged regarding his glaring piece of `fake history`, Trump blamed a malfunctioning teleprompter and also said it was hard to read the device in the rain! He was the first president in nearly seven decades to make a public address at the National Mall on the Fourth of July and the cheering crowds on the steps of the monument to Civil War era-president Abraham Lincoln didn`t seem to mind the slip-up. The US President's Independence Day celebrations also saw military tanks transported into the nation's capital and a flyover by the US Navy`s Blue Angels aerobatic display team. His critics had pilloried the event as inappropriately partisan and a misuse of public funds. (Image © Getty Images)

British Airways is facing a record fine of £183m for a breach of its security systems which occurred last year. The airline, owned by IAG, is of the opinion that the penalty imposed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is too severe as hackers had carried out a "sophisticated, malicious criminal attack" on its website which would have been very difficult to prevent. The ICO watchdog disagreed and said it was the biggest penalty it had handed out and the first to be made public under new rules.

The ICO said users of British Airways' website had been diverted to a fraudulent site where, due to poor security arrangements at the company, details of about 500,000 BA customers were harvested by the attackers. A variety of information was illegally obtained including names and addresses, log in and payment card particulars, although the stolen data supposedly did not include travel or passport specifics.

The watchdog emphasised that BA had co-operated with its investigation and has since made improvements to its security systems. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force last year and was the biggest shake-up to data privacy in 20 years, making it mandatory to report data security breaches to the information commissioner. It also increased the maximum penalty to 4% of turnover so the BA penalty falls far short of this figure, equating to just 1.5% of its worldwide turnover in 2017. Until the change, the biggest penalty was £500,000, imposed on Facebook for its role in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

The Boeing 737 MAX Crisis

The Boeing 737 MAX saga continues with the company taking a $4.9bn hit to cover costs associated with the worldwide grounding of the troubled version of its iconic airliner. A 737 Max crash in Indonesia in October, and another in Ethiopia in March last year, killed 346 people in total. The latest charge, most of which will be used to compensate Boeing's customers for schedule disruptions and delays in aircraft deliveries, is set to wipe out profits when the world's largest aircraft manufacturer posts the first of its 2019 quarterly results.

In a statement, Boeing also said its "best estimate at this time" is that the aircraft will return to service in the last three months of this year but this is looking increasingly unlikely. Crash investigators are still focused on the aircraft's computerised flight control system.

Meantime Boeing has cut the monthly production rate from 52 to 42 as airlines hold off purchases, apart from BA that is which surprisingly signed a letter of intent with Boeing at the Paris Airshow to purchase 200 of the type. If the £19 billion deal is finalised, the 737-8 and 737-10s, powered by CFM Leap engines, would be delivered between 2023 and 2027.

Right: An Icelandair MAX 8 arrives at Glasgow International in February this year shortly before the type was grounded. The carrier had intended to use the new model of 737 in place of its Boeing 757s on the Kefllavik - Glasgow route.

Another shot of Dreamliner G-TUII taxiing to Alpha One on Saturday 13 July.

Right: PH-EXB, one of KLM`s current Cityhopper fleet of Embraer ERJ-190STD commuter jets, was snapped at Glasgow moments before landing on an overcast afternoon. Friday 26 July. The aircraft has `KLM 100` centenary markings.

KLM Cityhopper has recently signed a letter of intent to acquire 15 Embraer 190-300 E2 airliners, with purchase rights for a further 20. Deliveries of the initial batch are due to start in 2021 and will continue through to 2023. Rather than replace KLM`s existing Embraer fleet, these aircraft will replace Boeing 737-700s.

In other airline news, Lufthansa will not operate Glasgow - Munich over the winter months but will resume this route in March 2020.

I missed Lufthansa A320-214 D-AIZG, currently plastered in a `Say Yes to Europe` livery, when it called in here on Thursday 25 July but had already photographed it at Dusseldorf Airport a few weeks before. More shots taken at Germany`s third-busiest airport can be viewed here.

Ryanair have set up another Air Operator Certificate (AOC), this time as Malta Air. Initial reports state that in addition to transferring six Boeing 737s to Malta Air, approximately 40 others, from Ryanair`s French, German and Italian bases will also be re-registered as Maltese. The first of the new Air Malta jets, 9H-QAB, made the newly formed carrier`s first visit to Scotland when it flew in from Bordeaux and landed at Edinburgh on 20 June. These aircraft, along with the Ryanair Sun / Buzz fleets will eventually be repainted in new liveries.

By the middle of the month, however, Ryanair announced that delays with deliveries of the crisis-hit Boeing 737 MAX will result in the scale-back of some of its services. As previously mentioned, all Boeing 737 MAX planes remain grounded worldwide by aviation authorities following two crashes within months of one another involving the type. A total of 189 people were killed on an Indonesian Lion Air flight last October before 157 died aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March this year. Both crashes have been linked to flight control software and Boeing are still working to address the problem. Meanwhile Ryanair said it was identifying loss-making or poorly-performing bases ahead of the looming winter season for short-term cuts or even closures which would kick-in from November, with further restructuring likely for the 2020 summer season. It was unclear how many people would be affected. The low-cost carrier did not have any 737 MAX in its fleet at the time of the accidents but has 135 on order.

Above: Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N709TW arrives on an overcast Thursday 11 July. This aircraft has a "No.42 Mariano Rivera" signature on the nose in honour of the New York Yankees` best-ever pitcher who played Major League Baseball for the team for 19 seasons from 1995 to 2013.

Boeing 757 N709TW made another round trip to Glasgow from JFK on the 14th and similarly marked N702TW (below) called in on Friday 26 July...

Emirates A380 A6-EOG burns off a serious amount of tread on landing. Tuesday 16 July 2019.

Airliners worthy of a mention this month are Airbus A320-251N G-UZHY (f/v) easyJet and Embraer ERJ-145EU G-SAJH (f/v) Loganair (1st); A380-861 A6-EUB (f/v) Emirates and Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR Icelandair (80 Years of Aviation livery) (2nd); A380-861 A6-EOT Emirates (Expo 2020 blue livery), Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-EPF Emirates (Expo 2020 green) and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-TUIL (f/v) TUI Airways (4th); Boeing 737-8AS(WL) SP-RSY Ryanair Sun, Boeing 737-77W(BBJ) A6-RJV (f/v) Royal Jet and Embraer ERJ-145EP G-SAJF (f/v) Loganair (5th); Boeing 737-77W(BBJ) A6-RJV returned (6th); Boeing 757-231(WL) N705TW Delta (Sky Team colours), plus A320-232 SU-TCE of AlMasria Universal Airlines worked today`s Balkan Holidays (BH Air) flight (7th); BAe Avro RJ100 G-JOTS and BAe Avro RJ85 G-JOTR, both Jota Aviation (local football team transfers for Champions League fixtures) (8th); Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-EPO Emirates (Expo 2020 orange) (10th)...

Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N709TW Delta Air Lines (No.42 Mariano Rivera signature) and Embraer ERJ-145EU G-SAJG Loganair (f/v) (11th); Boeing 737-8K5(WL) EC-MTV Alba Star and Embraer ERJ-145LU F-HRGD (above) of Regourd Aviation, a French company created in 1976, specialising in the rental of crewed aircraft, charter flights, sports transportation, corporate transport, crew transportation and aircraft maintenance (12th)...

Airbus A320-214(WL) D-AIWF (f/v) Lufthansa, Fokker F100 YR-FKA Carpatair, Embraer ERJ-145EP G-SAJN (f/v) Loganair, plus ERJ-145LU F-HRAP (f/v) Regourd Aviation (13th); A380-861 A6-EEZ Emirates (Expo 2020 green livery), Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N709TW Delta Air Lines (No.42 Mariano Rivera signature) again, Airbus A320-271N D-AINR (f/v) Lufthansa and A320-232 LZ-BHL (f/v) BH Air (14th); Airbus A320-271N D-AINT (f/v) Lufthansa and Fokker F100 YR-FKA Carpatair (15th); A380-861 A6-EOG Emirates and BAe Avro RJ85 G-JOTR Jota Aviation (16th); A380-861 A6-EEA Emirates (Expo 2020 orange) (17th); Boeing 737-86J(WL) EC-MUB (f/v) Alba Star (19th); Airbus A380-861 A6-EEV Emirates (Dubai Rugby Sevens 2019 livery) and Airbus A321-231 D-AISP (f/v) Lufthansa (20th); A380-861 A6-EEN (f/v) Emirates and Boeing 737-8MG(WL) G-JZBR Jet2 (f/v) (21st); Airbus A330-243 C-GJDA Air Transat (All-white) (22nd); A380-861 A6-EEZ Emirates (Expo 2020 Green) and Boeing 737-81D C-GNCH Sunwing Airlines (23rd)...

Emirates A380-861 A6-EDS sets off on the return flight to Dubai. Wednesday 31 July 2019.

Airbus A320-251N G-UZLC easyJet (f/v) (24th); Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIU Icelandair (Aurora Borealis Livery) and Airbus A320-214 D-AIZG Lufthansa (`Say Yes to Europe` livery) (25th), A380-861 A6-EEV Emirates (Dubai Rugby Sevens livery) returned, plus Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N702TW Delta Airlines (No.42 Mariano Rivera titles) (26th); Airbus A380-861 A6-EOC Emirates (Expo 2020 blue) (27th); Boeing 737-77W(BBJ) A6-RJV Royal Jet, Boeing 737-505 9H-AHA Air X Charter, Airbus A321-131 D-AIRM (f/v) Lufthansa and A320-251N G-UZLD easyJet (f/v) (28th); A380-861 A6-EDT (f/v) Emirates (29th); Airbus A320-214(WL) OE-INE EasyJet Europe (f/v) (30th); A380-861 A6-EDS (f/v) Emirates, A320-251N G-UZHR easyJet (f/v), British Aerospace Avro RJ100 G-JOTS Jota Aviation, plus Boeing 737-505 9H-AHA returned (31st).

Above: Strawberry pickers were also out in force at East Yonderton Farm when Delta Boeing 757-231(WL) N705TW took-off on the afternoon of Sunday 7 July. Runway 05 was in use but severe heat haze spoiled distant shots.

Left: Not the best view, but this is Boeing 737-77W(BBJ) A6-RJV, one of eight 737s operated by Royal Jet. This charter airline is primarily aimed at the luxury travel market between the UAE and Europe. Its main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport, with hubs at Dubai International Airport, King Abdulaziz International Airport and Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore, Pakistan. The airline started operations in May 2003 and is owned jointly by Presidential Flight (UAE) (50%) and Abu Dhabi Aviation (50%). A6-RJV landed on 5 July and remained until the afternoon of Sunday 7th.

Boeing 737-505 9H-AHA of Air X Charter, which I believe was engaged in football team charters, called in on 28 and 31 July.

A380-861 A6-EEV celebrationg `50 Years of the Emirates Dubai Rugby 7s` appeared on Friday 26 July.

Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GTSR taxis clear of Runway 05 after landing on 5 July and, below, A310-304 C-GTSW sets off on the return flight to Toronto on Sunday 14 July. Both airliners are still in the Canadian carrier`s old colour scheme, whereas A330-243 C-GUFR sports the new livery. I snapped it from Paisley Moss nature reserve, which is a blaze of colour at present, as it arrived from Toronto on July 29.

Toronto-bound Boeing 767-375(ER) C-GEOU about to line-up for takeoff. Runway 23. Thursday July 18.

United Airlines Boeing 757-224(WL) N19130 waits for a BA Shuttle to land before lining-up for takeoff. Monday 29 July.

Turboprop Airliners

Leased Nordica ATR 72-600 ES-ATA, pictured below about to land on `05` on 29 July, remains based to cover Flybe flights, and was accompanied by ES-ATB up until July 4th when the latter aircraft returned to its owner. Also remaining temporarily based at Glasgow for a short time at the beginning of the month was Saab 340N ES-NSC of NyxAir which was covering routes for Loganair. The aircraft re-positioned to Carlisle on 4 July to start services from the newly redeveloped Carlisle Lake District Airport. Glasgow saw Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia EC-JBD of Swift Air fly-in on the 29th and Fairchild Dornier SA.227DC Metroliner 23 OY-NPG (f/v) of North Flying making two visits on Wednesday 31 July.

Please bear in mind that all my images are subject to copyright. They are not free to use and have been embedded with a digital watermark.

Luxair DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 LX-LQA (f/v) flew in on Wednesday 24 July to drop-off Luxembourg-based FC Progrès Niederkorn for their first leg, 2nd round, Europa League qualifier on Thursday 25 July against Glasgow Rangers. The Ibrox side won 2-0 and LX-LGG (f/v) (above) acted as the visitors` taxi home on the 26th.

Aer Lingus Regional ATR 72-600 EI-FCZ lifts-off on 31 July, and below, Swiftair Embraer EMB-120FC Brasilia EC-HCF on the Gama apron. July 27.

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Biz-Jets

An early arrival this month was US-registered Falcon 7X N273JC which appeared on 1 July. It`s seen here the following afternoon, shortly before departure.

Left: Cirrus Vision N474CG is seen here on 23 July, having arrived on Saturday 20th. This is a single-engine, low-wing, carbon fibre jet designed and produced by Cirrus Aircraft. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, Cirrus Aircraft was founded as Cirrus Design in the mid-1980s and is better known for its single-engined light prop-driven planes.

At USD $2 million, this aircraft is the most affordable private jet in the world and costs roughly fifty-percent less than its closest similarly-powered rivals. It has a range of 1,150 miles (1,850 km) while cruising at 345 mph and an altitude of 28,000 feet. Although the futuristic-looking plane is marketed as a seven-seater, it can seat five adults in comfort, plus two children, or two seats can be removed for additional luggage stowage. A remarkable feature is the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) which deploys from the nose of the aircraft making the SF50 the first jet of any kind to come with a complete-aircraft ballistic parachute. Although it looks more like a spaceplane from a Gerry Anderson Thunderbirds or Fireball XL5 TV show than a traditional biz-jet, the Cirrus Vision Jet has attracted a great deal of attention from air taxi companies.

One of many biz-jets parking up on the northside this month was Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign N612JD (f/v), seen here on July 11th.

N612JD was en route from Bangor, Maine, to Biggin Hill.

Above: Danish-registered Falcon 7X OY-EJD on Area R. Sunday 14 July. It had arrived from Roskilde, Denmark, and left for Payerne, Switzerland on the 16th.

The only corporate jet stopping over from June was Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 N742SP (right) which was parked up on Taxiway `Y`. Biz visiting in July included Dassault Falcon 7X N273JC (f/v) and Cessna Citation ISP N501NZ (1st); Gulfstream V-SP N168NJ, Bombardier Challenger 850 9H-JAD AirX, Bombardier Global 5000 9H-VJZ (f/v) VistaJet, Cessna Citation Excel CS-DXS, Embraer Legacy 650 G-SUGR, Embraer Legacy 500 G-SUEJ and Embraer Phenom 300 2-NORN (f/v) (2nd); Bombardier Challenger 850 9H-ILY VistaJet (3rd); Challenger 605 9H-VFH VistaJet, Gulfstream G280 OE-HGP AFS Alpine Flightservice and Citation Mustang OE-FZE (4th); Dassault Falcon 2000EX CS-DLG, Citation Excel G-LEAX and Citation Mustang G-GILB (f/v) (5th); Global Express OE-IRP (f/v), Global 5000 N113QS (f/v) and Citation Mustang OE-FCO (f/v) (6th); EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 N742SP, Challenger 850 9H-JAD (f/v) of Air X Charter made another visit, plus Dassault Falcon 2000 N215RE, CitationJet CJ2 D-ISJP and Citation Excel CS-DXK (7th)...

Cessna 750 Citation X D-BUZZ, snapped on Sunday 14 July 2019, was making a round-trip from Farnborough.

Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650s D-ALOA Air Hamburg and N742SP, plus Citation Mustang G-KLNW (8th); Gulfstream V-SP N175NH, Gulfstream IV-X N111CQ (f/v) Bombardier Global 6000 EC-LTF TAG Aviation Espana, Falcon 2000LX OY-GFS, Cessna Citation CJ1 D-ITIP and Citation Mustang G-RNER (9th); Air Hamburg EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 D-ALOA made another visit, plus Bombardier Global 6000 CS-GLG and Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign N612JD (f/v) (10th); Embraer ERJ-190-100 ECJ N527AH (f/v) Lineage Asset Company (11th); Global 6000 N148QS (f/v), Falcon 7X D-ASIM (f/v) Air Hamburg and Hawker 800B G-JBLL (f/v) (12th); CitationJet CJ1 G-CJDB, Citation Mustang G-FFFC and Learjet 60 D-CURE (13th); Gulfstream IV N168PK (f/v), Challenger 605 9H-VFD VistaJet, Dassault Falcon 7X OY-EJD (f/v), Cessna 750 Citation X D-BUZZ and Citation Excel CS-DXR (14th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650E D-ASAP Air Hamburg and Learjet 45 D-CSOS (15th)...

US Gulfstream IV N168PK and VistaJet Challenger 605 9H-VFD on Area J. Sunday 14 July.

Bombardier Challenger 850 9H-ILZ VistaJet, Citation Mustang OE-FHK and Learjet 35A D-CCCB (16th); Cessna 750 Citation X N777KT (f/v) (17th); Gulfstream IV N478GS, Challenger 350s 9H-VCE VistaJet and I-FORZ (f/v), plus CitationJet CJ4 D-CWIR (f/v) and Phenom 100 F-HBOD (18th); Beech Beechjet 400 SP-TAT (19th); Cirrus SF-50 Vision N474CG (f/v) (20th); Bombardier Challenger 300 N357TW (f/v), Gulfstream GV-SP N1SF (f/v), Falcon 900EX VP-CMB, Beech Beechjet 400 I-VITH (f/v) plus Hawker Beechcraft 750 9H-BSA and G-STWB (f/v) (21st); Dassault Falcon 900EX G-EGVO and Citation Bravo G-CMBC (22nd); Challenger 605 OE-IIX and CitationJet CJ1+ D-IHKW (23rd); Challenger 650 N650LC and Beech Beechjet 400A SP-TAT (24th); Falcon 2000EX CS-DFG, Cessna Citation 680 Sovereign EC-MLV and Hawker Beechcraft 750 CS-DUC (25th)...

US-registered Challenger 650 N650LC. Taxiway Yankee, Thursday 25 July 2019.

Dassault Falcon 7X RA-09616 (f/v) and Embraer Phenom 100 D-IAAS (f/v) (26th); Challenger 605 9H-VFB VistaJet from Malmo, Sweden, plus Falcon 2000 N215RE, Cessna 501 Citation ISP N501NZ, Citation Bravo G-CMBC, CitationJet CJ3 N91GT (f/v), Pilatus PC-24 LX-PCB (f/v), Learjet 45s G-OICU and CS-TFR, plus Phenom 300 G-JAGA (27th); Challenger 605 EI-WFI and Citation XLS CS-DXP (28th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 N742SP, Challenger 605 N1TK (f/v), CitationJet CJ4 D-COLO (f/v), Citation XLS D-CAWM and Embraer Phenom 300 G-JMBO (30th); Falcon 2000EX CS-DLH (31st).

Russian Falcon 7X RA-09616 and Spanish Citation Sovereign EC-MLV are pictured together on the afternoon of July 26.

Dassault Falcon 900EX G-EGVO, pictured on Area R on Wednesday 24 July, has made numerous visits to Glasgow International over the years.

Taxiway Alpha just after first light on a gloomy 22 July: Gulfstream GV-SP N1SF, Falcon 900EX VP-CMB and Challenger 300 N357TW.

Glasgow Airport has signed up to become one of the 2019 Cup`s main sponsors which should mean many of the 100,000 expected spectators will arrive at the airport.

Previous Ryder Cups (the equivalent men's event) saw numerous Gulfstream and other high-end biz-jets parking up here with the golfers, their families and support teams being helicoptered to the event. Hopefully Taxiway Y will get quite busy this September.

The Solheim Cup was originally held in even-numbered years, with the Ryder Cup held every odd-numbered year. Following the September 11 Twin Towers terrorist attacks in 2001, however, the latter competition was postponed for a year. As part of the general reshuffling of team golf events the Solheim Cup switched to odd-numbered years beginning in 2003. The current holders are the USA who won at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, in 2017. The official website has much more information and is worth a look: www.solheimcup2019.com.

Above: Flying in from Faro, Falcon 2000EX CS-DLH of NetJets Europe on approach for Runway 05 on Wednesday 31 July. Shortly after these shots were taken from the Gleniffer Braes car park a thunderstorm swept in, bringing torrential rain and totally obscuring the view. Several airliners on approach had to reposition to avoid the extreme weather and the captain of a Thomas Cook A321 decided to abort landing at the last minute and go-around.

Falcon 2000 N215RE was on the Gama apron on the 29th.

Challenger 300 N357TW. which had arrived on 21 July and spent over a week parked on the northside, left on the morning of the 29th when it entered the runway and backtracked for a `05` departure. Loganair Twin Otter G-HIAL, already holding at `Golf One`, gave way to the fast moving jet.

General Aviation

It was one-in, one-out at Glasgow this month with based Piper Tomahawk G-BSOU written-off as a result of a bad landing at Cumbernauld Airport on 16 July, fortunately without injury. A new Glasgow resident in the shape of Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow 3 still bearing the Swedish registration SE-GVV arrived on 26 June and will presumably be transferred to the UK register at some point.

Visiting light aircraft and helicopters worth a mention are Pilatus PC-12 M-YBLS (plus other dates), King Air 200 G-FLYW and Diamond DA42 Twin Star HB-LZR (f/v) (1st); Cirrus SR22T N380LD (f/v) (4th); King Air 200s M-CDJC and M-CDMS (5th); King Air 350 G-SRBM (6th); King Air 200 G-WNCH (7th); Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance N7640F (f/v) (8th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti D-IRBS (9th); King Air 200 G-WCCP (10th); Airbus Helicopters Eurocopter EC.130-T2 G-IPSE (f/v) Wyldecrest Parks (12th); PA-31 Navajo Chieftain G-YEOM (14th); King Air 200 G-WVIP (15th)...

Pilatus PC-12 LX-JFY alongside Pilatus PC-24 LX-PCB.

PA-31 Navajo Chieftain G-YEOM (16th); King Air 200 G-SRBM (17th); SOCATA TBM-700 N900LZ (f/v), King Air 200s G-FLYW (plus other dates) and G-NIAB (19th);Beechcraft 95-C55 Baron N55AE (f/v) (20th); King Air 200 G-WNCH and Agustawestland AW-109SP G-SKBH (22nd); Pilatus PC-12s M-YBLS and LX-JFV (23rd); King Air 200s M-CDBM and M-CDMS (24th); Piaggio P-180 Avanti M-GFGC (25th); Pilatus PC-12 VP-CPX and King Air 200 G-MEDZ (f/v) (27th); Pilatus PC-12 LX-JFY (f/v) (28th); King Air 200 M-CDJC (29th); King Air 200 M-CDMS, plus Diamond DA42 Twin Stars G-YDEA (f/v) and G-DJET (31st).

US-registered Beechcraft 95-C55 Baron N55AE arrived on Saturday 20 July and stayed until the 23rd.

Airbus Helicopters Eurocopter EC.130-T2 G-IPSE of Wyldecrest Parks is pictured here parked up on Area Juliet on the afternoon of 12 July.

Air Ambulance helicopter G-SASS sets off on its next mission. Friday 26 July 2019.

Two King Air 200s on the Isle of Man register called in on the morning of Friday 5 July: M-CDMS and M-CDJC.

Military

There were only a few military visitors this month, plus Hawker Raytheon Beechcraft AT-6B Texan II N610AT which flew in from RAF Brize Norton on Monday 22 July. The civil-registered military demonstrator had spent some time in Croatia after appearing at the Paris Airshow in June and was making its way back to the USA. Unfortunately, it`s allocated parking spot on Area Juliet ruled out a clear shot.

As previously mentioned, BAe146 CC.2s ZE700 `Kittyhawk 23`(above) and ZE701 `Kittyhawk 21` arrived on Monday 29 July, one aircraft bringing PM Boris Johnston to Glasgow for a pre-Brexit tour. Both departed later but ZE700 returned the following day.

US Army Beech MC-12S Huron 11-00267 (f/v), call-sign `Elvis 09` arrived on the 29th and stayed over into August, possibly as a result of going tech.

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Construction & Development

Work connected with the realignment of Abbotsinch Road to accommodate a new business park on the east side of the airport began this month with the portacabin office and a couple of JCBs arriving on 1 July. The diggers began right away, clearing a large section of the adjacent field while tipper trucks brought in the first loads of aggregates.

The tree in the above shot marks the location of the new compound.

These aerial views show Abbotsinch Road and the area soon to be transformed.

Above: Tipper trucks move in on the first day of operations. Below: A view of the above location from the same spot at the end of the month...

More shots of the construction compound on the east side of Abbotsinch Rd complete with double-decker Portacabin office and storage containers.

A New Bridge over the Clyde

A significant announcement regarding the large-scale infrastructure project to transform the Clyde waterfront was made this month with Renfrewshire Council confirming three international engineering teams are competing to build the first opening road bridge over the River Clyde. The long-proposed crossing, which will do-away with the traditional ferry between Renfrew and Yoker, will be the centrepiece of the regeneration.

Taking the form of an 184 metre-long swing bridge, the crossing will accommodate vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and will also open horizontally for passing ships, essential as large vessels, both merchant and military still transit the upper Clyde. Engineering firm Sweco worked with Kettle Collective, the architects behind the Falkirk Wheel, to draw up initial designs for the bridge which draws inspiration from the area's rich shipbuilding heritage.

The first record of a ferry on this stretch of the Clyde dates back to 1396 when the town of Renfrew was made a Royal Burgh, albeit this service originally operated from King’s Inch, which is now part of the site occupied by the Braehead Shopping Centre. The town expanded rapidly and in 1790 the busy crossing was moved to its present location, after financial assistance was provided by the landowner of the original site who wished to divert traffic away from his newly built mansion.

Technological developments and the growth in traffic resulted in a succession of larger and more advanced ferries, open at both ends and for a many years connected to either bank by a chain. With the increase in heavy industry on both sides of the river, including the John Brown`s shipyard and Singer Factory at Clydebank, thousands of workers crossed each day. For example, on Sunday 8 March 1936 while the new Queen Mary was still being fitted out at Brown`s a census recorded that 21,386 passengers used the ferry. (I took the above shots of Clydebank from a light aircraft in October 1976, a landscape that has since been almost totally transformed).

The Renfrew - Yoker service was mainly passenger-only until the car boom of the 1950s and 1960s, when purpose-built vehicle-carrying vessels began operations. With the opening of the Clyde Tunnel just two miles upstream, then the Erskine Bridge, which allowed faster crossings, and the shipbuilding industry winding down, the car service ceased in May 1984. The Renfrew Rose, a replacement, passenger-only service, with a 50-person capacity, was launched in July 1984. This was subsequently replaced by the Clydelink service on April 1, 2010.

One of the old purpose-built car ferries can still be seen moored on the Broomielaw, in Glasgow City Centre, where as the unimaginatively titled`Renfrew Ferry` it serves as a popular entertainment venue. I don`t know if the veteran ferries Renfrew Rose and Yoker Swan are still in the boatyard at Rothesay Dock awaiting their fate as I took these shots some years ago. The image, bottom right of the trio above shows the latter vessel in action in 1989. (© Ship Nostalia.com).

The contenders in the tendering process for the new bridge are ARC, who are responsible for the new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth and the Tappan Zee Bridge that spans New York's Hudson River. Next, a Balfour Beatty team, comprising Cleveland Bridge, Qualter Hall and consultants Atkins. They have delivered the Media City Swing Bridge in Salford and are currently replacing the Surf City Swing Bridge in North Carolina. The third candidate is construction and civil engineering company GRAHAM, working with Hollandia & Ramboll. Both were involved in the construction of the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin while Ramboll led the design of the Queensferry Crossing.

Judging by the computerised image on the Renfrewshire Council website, the new bridge over the Clyde will be located several hundred metres downstream from the existing ferry. It will border Renfrew Golf Club on the south side and occupy the waste ground immediately east of the Clyde Boatyard at Rothesay Dock. With no houses in the immediate area this should cause minimal disruption to residents but I suspect the large scrapyard on the Renfrew side will have to go.

These photos, which I took earlier this year, show the area earmarked for construction. Also included in the project are more than 2km of new and improved roads and shared cycle and pedestrian routes, including connections into the `Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland` which I believe is now the official title of the new business centre being developed off Abbotsinch Road next to Glasgow Airport.

The above view best-illustrates the proposed site for the new crossing. Clydebank Oil Terminal and the boatyard still see a fair amount of traffic each year and nearly every tanker visiting the Upper Clyde is connected with operations here. It`s only rarely that ships of this sort will sail on to the KGV Dock at Glasgow. Up to a dozen or so bulk carriers, usually in the region of 200 metres in length, visit the city annually and twice a year numerous warships berth in connection with the Joint Warrior military exercises. This is in addition to numerous coastal freighters, workboats and pleasure craft. It`s therefore essential that the design of the bridge facilitates acceptably short opening and closing times.

It`s estimated that almost 500 people will be involved in the initial construction and a further 2,300 jobs are expected to be created over the next decade through the development and the business growth it is expected to generate. The £90.7m Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project is jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments through the Glasgow City Region City Deal. Plans for the bridge were initially approved in November and it`s anticipated that the successful team will be appointed in early 2020. Construction is scheduled to start next year and is expected to be completed sometime in 2022.

Plans for a new five-storey hotel at Glasgow Airport have been given the go-ahead. The DMA-designed hotel next to the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at Glasgow Airport Business Park will provide 196 guest rooms, public areas on the ground floor, and 52 additional car park spaces.

The artist`s impression of the new building is reminiscent of the illustrations of Spanish hotels `still under construction` used to illustrate holiday brochures in the late 1960s / early 1970s. It`s hoped that this latest hotel will generate some local employment opportunities, and bring investment to the area despite the competition and falling airport passenger numbers.

The new M8 Motorway access point, Junction 29A, is steadily taking shape with the slip from the A8 for eastbound traffic partially surfaced. The A8 Greenock Road which runs over the motorway and through Bishopton was closed for several weeks east of the village to facilitate the ongoing construction operations.