PACIFIC played a key role in the delivery of the all-new pier and departure lounge for Emirates airlines’ Airbus A380 super-jumbo at Glasgow International Airport.
The new facility opened bang on time for the first arrival of the 575-ton, £350million passenger jet on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
The Airbus A380, which is the world’s largest passenger airliner capable of carrying up to an incredible 850 passengers, will fly daily between Glasgow and Dubai with a complement of about 580 travellers.
The works to accommodate the plane and passengers at Gate 30 – which features Scotland’s only triple air bridge that permits a swift turnaround between arrival and departure – was complemented by external engineering works too.
These were overseen by main contractors Kier and included widening and strengthening taxiways, the relocation of traffic lights and other static objects and the installation of wing-protection measures (the Airbus’s wingspan is a mammoth 80 metres).
While the structural work fell to Kier, all other project components were the responsibility of Pacific, including the comprehensive fit-out of the passenger lounge that measures an impressive 850 square metres.
There was no room for manoeuvre on the 10-week timescale, with tickets for the first flight having already been sold, so even a short delay was not an option.
A huge welcoming party gathered for the inaugural arrival of the A380 and no one was more proud of the moment than Pacific’s team of John Cummings, Joseph Brady, John McGuire, Robert Allan and Connor Skea.
Not in the photograph are site manager Martin Lamont, quantity surveyor Craig Taylor and contracts surveyor Martyn Duffy, who rounded off the Pacific contingent tasked with delivering the high-profile project.
Pacific Managing Director Brian Gallacher said: “A huge pat on the back to all our guys – our very own A-Team – who pulled out the stops on one of our company’s most prestigious projects to date.
“The decision by Emirates to introduce the A380 is a huge milestone for Glasgow International Airport, 15 years after the airline’s inaugural flight to Scotland.
“We have forged a valuable relationship with the airport and this project represents a major vote of confidence in the city.”
