A GLASGOW bound passenger was astonished to see his Dad playing the bagpipes in the arrivals hall of the airport.

Douglas Birch, 25, returned home from Chicago via Amsterdam today with his new wife Olivia and was greeted by his Dad, Lachie, Mum Fiona and sister Vivienne, who are from Bearsden near Glasgow.

Lachie had learned the bagpipes to welcome Douglas home to Scotland. The family have not seen each other for almost three years.

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The 61-year-old musician said: “I’m a musician and play the drums, but I was never a piper. Ahead of attending the original wedding celebration in April 2020 my sister-in-law (name) challenged me to learn how to play the bagpipes as a surprise.

“Even though our plans to head over to America didn’t happen, I decided to stick with the pipes anyway as I’d started to learn, although, I didn’t realise how hard it was going to be.

“It was great to not only see Douglas and his new bride again after so long, but it was also brilliant to see the look on his face – he had no idea!”

The Birch family have not seen each other since April 2019. They were due to reunite for Douglas and Olivia's wedding in April last year, but were unable to travel due to international restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Douglas has lived in Chicago for six years and works as an assistant camera operator. He said: "Today couldn’t have been any better. My dad’s never been a fan of the bagpipes, so I never thought in my wildest dreams he’d ever learn to play them. What a surprise!

“It’s great to be home and to see my family again – it’s been too long. It also felt like the perfect Scottish festive morning as we left the airport – it felt like home and I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with my family and Olivia in Scotland.”