History of Renfrew Airport

In 1916 Renfrew town council informed the tenants of Newmains farm(Mr. John Campbell)that under the defence of the realm regulation of 1914 to cease the ploughing, so that the Ministry of Munitions(War) could begin building an aerodrome.
By the end of the war in 1918 the future of civil aviation looked bright but this was not the case, the need for aircraft diminished and the Moorpark aerodrome which had played a part during this time now lay empty and abandoned.However in 1923 William Beardmore & company Ltd was appointed to mange the RAF Reserve flying school at the aerodrome, but this didn't last long and the school closed in 1928.
On the 12^th September 1925 the 602 squadron was formed, since the old airport was to small for DeHavilland 9s that the squadron flew a new airport was needed and so in 1933 they moved to Abbottsinch.Both Renfrew and Abbottsinch played major roles during WWII, due in part to their location next to the Glasgow docks.

On 1^st April 1946 civil aviation became nationalised and Renfrew became a state airport. there seemed to be a growing demand for air travel and soon DC3 aircraft were flying between Renfrew, London and Belfast. The London route became very busy and soon larger aircraft were needed and the Viscount became the most popular plane used. A new terminal was needed and in 1954 the new building was opened.
New services like Iceland air, Channel Airways and chartered operators like Britannia were using Renfrew. In November 1960 a decision was made to replace Renfrew with Abbotsinch as the new airport with Glasgow Corporation becoming the new owners. The new airport was built on a 700 acre site, the main contractor was John Laing Construction Co and the Queen opened it on 27 June 1966.
By the 1970s tour packages had really taken off and more airlines such as Laker, BM and Iberia were taking tourists to popular destinations in Europe. Plans for a £2 million extension began in 1976 and took 18 months to complete. In the early 1980's BM began services to London Heathrow and the famous Boeing 747s began to fly to Tenerife.

In 1989 the airport began a mammoth expansion plan which took 3 years to complete and increased the size of the terminal by 70%. Not long after the start of development the Government announced that Trans-Atlantic flights no longer had to fly from Prestwick Airport and so airlines such as Air Canada switched to Glasgow. The first stage was opened by HRH Princess Anne, stage 2 was completed by 1994.
Summer of 2001 sees more work atGlasgow Airport with yet more parking being available, namely a multi-storey car park being built in front of the building. People today driving along the M8 will detect few signs of history beneath their wheels, only a sign at the top of Newmains Road indicates the Renfrew Airport Terminal Building.
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