Glasgow International Airport, located 13 km (8 miles) west of Glasgow, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew, is the largest international airport in Scotland, and number five in the UK. The airport is owned by BAA plc, which also owns London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Aberdeen Airport and Southampton Airport.

Glasgow Airport is hampered against future growth by its location, which is constrained by the M8 motorway to the south, the town of Renfrew to the east, and the River Clyde to the north. At present the towns of Clydebank, Bearsden and Linwood all sit directly underneath the approach paths into the airport, meaning that further increases in traffic may be politically sensitive. Glasgow also faces stiff competition from its old adversary at Prestwick, which has reinvented itself as a low-cost hub for budget airlines, and which has a direct rail link to the city of Glasgow. However, the Scottish Executive announced in 2002 that a rail link from Glasgow Central would extend out to Glasgow Airport.

Currently, the airport is easily accessed by road due to the adjoining M8 motorway and is served by a frequent dedicated express bus from the city centre.

A number of airlines operate holiday flights from Glasgow, including First Choice Airways, Britannia Airways, Excel Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, MyTravel Airways, Monarch Airlines, Futura Airlines, Spanair and Balkan Holidays.