New Edinburgh Airport arrivals hall just the ticket for passengers - Vladimir McTavish

So, flying back from Gatwick a week ago, I was very pleasantly surprised to see the framework of a new construction project, which looks almost as large as the existing terminal.

While still very much a skeleton and not yet a building site, it is good to see that steps are finally being taken to enhance the passenger experience. Hopefully.

Indeed, I read the other day that the airport’s chief executive Gordon Dewar had himself finally admitted that the current arrivals area is not fit for purpose, describing it as “very industrial and dated”.

While the word “industrial’ is a rather creative euphemism for “substandard” or “totally rubbish”, it is good to see that the penny has finally dropped and that steps are eventually being taken.

Edinburgh has grown so fast that the facilities have long been inadequate to deal with the rise in the number of flights.

How long the rebuild will take is unclear, but many frequent flyers will have drawn up their wish lists for what will be included.

Mine would be for an increase in air bridges of which Edinburgh has too few. Having to take a flight of steps down to the runway on a cold, wet blustery Scottish evening is hardly the best greeting to receive after flying in from the Mediterranean.

More lifts and escalators would be good, rather than endless flights of stairs which are a complete pain for the able-bodied, let alone those with any disability.

A direct entry into the international arrivals hall, instead of the current shuffling backwards and forwards through a draughty portacabin will let visitors know they are arriving at a major European capital city, and not some regional town in Albania.

And finally, a proper actual building. Not a set of bolted-together container units. Not too much to ask for.

It’s “where Scotland meets the World”. We’d all like the world to be impressed.