Prestwick subsidy

Glasgow Prestwick Airport, just over 30 miles from the city, but with a direct rail connection to Central Station, is to receive nearly £7m investment from the Scottish government, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. 

The additional funding is intended to tackle a backlog of repairs and to make improvements to the terminal building.  Ryanair is the only scheduled operator at the airport.

The Scottish government bought the struggling operation for £1 last year to save its closure.  The move is bound to upset the privately owned Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, both of which are expected to return a profit to the owners.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that Scottish government investment would be made "in the form of loan funding" and that £5.5m had been provided already since acquisition.  She added  there was "no quick fix solution for Prestwick" and that the airport may not be profitable for several years.

Last year Prestwick moved 1.15m passengers, a rise of 7% on 2012 but its mainstay, freight, declined 8% to 9,526 tons and just one third of the 2004 figure.   www.glasgowprestwick.com

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