The departure gate for Scotland’s latest air passenger service juts from the south bank of the river Clyde, immediately beneath the gleaming titanium crescent of Glasgow’s Science Centre.

A new seaplane service to the Hebridean island of Mull promises to ease the weekly journey of commuters and tourists between Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. The flight from the Clyde to Tobermory Bay on Mull lasts only 31 minutes, as against a four-hour journey by road and ferry.