The Irizar i6S AIR Coach at Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station, setting off on its way to Edinburgh Airport.
What is the best way to get to Edinburgh Airport from Glasgow? You can go by train, from Queen Street to Edinburgh Park, then connect with the adjacent tram service to the Airport. But I decided to try the Scottish CityLink AIR service which runs every 20 minutes (daytime) between Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport.
This service is operated by Scottish Citylink, using Irizar i6S coaches in a striking two-toned blue livery. The Citylink website is a useful staring point to plan your journey and to find the timetable for the AIR service [downloadable in pdf]. On the website [LINK]
it is possible to buy a range of tickets online (single, return, day return), at lower fares than “turn up and go” prices at the bus station or Airport. At Buchanan Bus Station, there is a Citylink information office, where you can buy a ticket in advance, rather on board the bus.
On this particular day in May, my decision to go to Edinburgh Airport was last minute, so I bought the ticket from the driver. Panic set in when asked where I was going, so I ended up buying a single rather than a return, which undoubtedly would have been less expensive. Payment is by card rather than by cash.
Once on board, I was impressed by the coach interior. I found the reclinable seats to be comfortable, with plenty of leg room. Paradise by comparison with the seating on the Stagecoach ex-Megabus vehicle that I had travelled on from Dumfries to Glasgow. What is also impressive on the AIR coach is that there is a designated area half-way along the coach for a wheelchair, with a dedicated door to provide access. What this means is that the wheelchair passenger sits alongside other passengers, rather than being in an isolated spot at the front. You can also feel safe on this coach, as it comes with internal CCTV, with at least five cameras throughout the coach interior.
Thanks to Coach and Bus Weekly (12 May 2025) I later found that these AIR coaches are just twelve months old, with Scottish Citylink having bought eight of the 53-seater Irizar i6S Efficient Coaches in 2025 , at a cost of £2.5 million investment. With the arrival of these new vehicles, Citylink increased the frequency of the AIR from 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.
The comfy and classy interior of the Irizar i6S AIR coach. The toilet is at the rear-left at the back, something of a luxury for a 60 minute journey.
The AIR is a limited stop service, running along the M8 motorway for most of its journey. There are fixed calling points at Baillieston, the business park at Eurocentral (Junction 7), Harthill Service Station, Newbridge East, Ingliston and at the Airport Hotels. On the mid-morning departure from Glasgow that I took, there were a dozen passengers on board. We picked up several others at Eurocentral (Maxim Park), presumably from nearby communities in Bellshill, Holytown and New Stevenston to the south, or Coatbridge to the north. This was the only stop we had en route where new passengers joined the coach on the way to the Airport. The AIR arrived at the Airport on time, 60 minutes after having departed from Buchanan Bus Station.
On the return to Glasgow, in late afternoon, it was hot. Despite the muggy conditions, boarding was efficient and disciplined, with customers journeying with suitcases accepting that their bags needed to go into the luggage compartment. The driver assisted speedy boarding by selling tickets on the kerbside. Once on board, the driver obligingly opened up the roof vents to allow the flow of fresh air into the coach interior, mitigating the effects of the exceptional heat. There are the normal air vents above each seat (along with reading lights) but these are sufficient for more normal conditions than the notably high temperatures on the day I travelled. We had set out from the Airport with around 35 passengers. We had around five or six drop off at Maxim Park, which is clearly an important pick up and setting down point for people living in the area to the east of Glasgow. Again, on the return journey there were no delays on route and the AIR arrived back at Glasgow around an hour after having left Edinburgh Airport.
The AIR coach on arrival at the Edinburgh Airport Terminus. The driver sells tickets for boarding passengers from a handheld ticket machine. Cashless payment preferred.
Scottish Citylink operate the AIR as a seven day a week, 24 hour service, when combined with route 900, the Glasgow to Edinburgh City coach service. On Monday to Friday, the AIR operates continuously from 0440 through to 2115, initially on a 30 minute frequency, increasing to one every 20 minutes from 0920. Overnight, between 2200 and 0420, the 900 also calls at Edinburgh Airport, which it normally by-passes during the day. There is a similar pattern at weekends. From Edinburgh, on weekdays, the AIR runs continuously from 0700 through to 2255. The 900 then takes over from 2345 through to 0615. The Saturday and Sunday service from Edinburgh Airport follows these frequencies.
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If you buy a ticket online, then the single fare is £16.80, a return £23.20. On the coach, the ticket is more expensive, as here, at £17.40 single fare. I did enjoy both my journeys!
Traveling by AIR was a relaxing, pleasurable experience and an efficient service. It is a comfortable way to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport. It is a route that I would recommend; and which I will use again.
I confirm that the photographs in this article are my own.
Steven Ardron
27 May 2026
