There has been some exciting news on two key routes for Glasgow Airport, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell.

Things certainly appear to be looking up for the airport and it will be fascinating to watch what happens next, including with United Airlines and Emirates.

United Airlines’ new service from Glasgow Airport to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, has got off to a flyer.

And these flights have not even started yet.

The return of a US carrier to operate direct flights between Glasgow and the US has probably taken longer than most would have hoped, so it is all the more heartening to see United’s seasonal service extended by a month before the flights even get off the ground on May 9.

Kam Jandu, chief executive of Glasgow Airport owner AGS Airports, expressed hopes when I interviewed him late last month that the United Airlines flights between Glasgow and New York/Newark would ultimately become year-round and operated on a wide-body jet. The United flights are launching on a narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft.

I reported exclusively on January 30 that United’s daily flights between Glasgow Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport would continue until October 24 rather than September 23 as originally planned.

This was days after Mr Jandu highlighted his high hopes for extension of the United service in the interview, which took place in the week of his first anniversary in the top job at AGS Airports.

The US airline had good things to say about Glasgow last week when it issued a press release detailing its decision to extend the season for the flights between Glasgow Airport and New York/Newark.

And it highlighted the fact that this will as things stand be the only direct service between Glasgow and the US operated by a US airline, as well as being the first since it last flew from Glasgow Airport in the........

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