The first flight to the Highlands and Islands from Glasgow for two days finally took off yesterday after runways were cleared.
Teams from Loganair and Glasgow Airport worked through the night to prepare for the airline’s first departure in almost 48 hours because of the severe weather conditions.
Staff took to the tarmac with shovels to clear the snow in preparation for the LM470 Loganair service to Stornoway, which was airborne at 10.28am.
The flight would later bring passengers stranded in Stornoway back to Glasgow.
Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Loganair, who also went armed with a shovel to clear the snow, praised all those who “worked tirelessly” to ensure operations resumed yesterday.
He said: “Despite weather conditions, our entire team has been working round the clock to help restore air connections to the Highlands and Islands.
“I’d like to thank them for their dedication and support over the last few days.
“We’ve definitely been impacted by the weather but to mitigate this we’d been advising customers since last week about the option to rebook if possible.
“The safety of all passengers and crew will remain our priority as all efforts work towards reopening every route.”
The atrocious weather the the Beast of the East grounded thousands of passengers at both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
Airport bosses were forced to stop both outward and inward bound flights, leading to huge queues. Many passengers claim to have been stuck at Glasgow Airport for up to 30 hours before being found accommodation.