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| Prestwick airport: Nicola Sturgeon to outline future plan | Prestwick airport: Nicola Sturgeon to outline future plan |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Plans for the future of Prestwick Airport are due to be outlined later. | Plans for the future of Prestwick Airport are due to be outlined later. |
| Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to appear before Holyrood's infrastructure committee. | Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to appear before Holyrood's infrastructure committee. |
| The Scottish government bought the airport for £1 last year, from owner Infratil, amid fears it could be forced to close due to heavy losses. | The Scottish government bought the airport for £1 last year, from owner Infratil, amid fears it could be forced to close due to heavy losses. |
| Infrastructure Secretary Ms Sturgeon is expected to give MSPs details of the government's long-term vision for the airport. | Infrastructure Secretary Ms Sturgeon is expected to give MSPs details of the government's long-term vision for the airport. |
| There are 3,200 jobs directly or indirectly associated with the airport and it is estimated to be worth £60m to the Scottish economy. | |
| Analysis: David Miller, BBC Scotland transport correspondent | |
| Prestwick airport's main runway is one of the longest in the UK, it has its own railway station and is less than an hour from Glasgow. | Prestwick airport's main runway is one of the longest in the UK, it has its own railway station and is less than an hour from Glasgow. |
| But falling passenger numbers and a decline in freight operations led its previous owners to put the airport up for sale. | But falling passenger numbers and a decline in freight operations led its previous owners to put the airport up for sale. |
| They failed to find a buyer - closure loomed - and the Scottish government stepped in, with the aim of protecting the Ayrshire economy and safeguarding jobs. | |
| A business case has been drawn up and millions of pounds have been earmarked for investment. | A business case has been drawn up and millions of pounds have been earmarked for investment. |
| Today, Nicola Sturgeon will outline her vision for Prestwick's future. | |
| Bosses at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports will be listening closely - they're unhappy at being forced to compete with a publicly-funded rival. | |
| A spokesman for Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce said: "Prestwick Airport is not only an asset to Ayrshire but to Scotland being unique with its own railway station and runway length together with its coastal location making closure unlikely due to adverse weather conditions | A spokesman for Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce said: "Prestwick Airport is not only an asset to Ayrshire but to Scotland being unique with its own railway station and runway length together with its coastal location making closure unlikely due to adverse weather conditions |
| "With some imaginative and innovative planning the airport can make a contribution to the Scottish economy building on the centre of excellence for aerospace training at Ayrshire College, the Enterprise Area and the vast engineering experience in this sector on its doorstep." | "With some imaginative and innovative planning the airport can make a contribution to the Scottish economy building on the centre of excellence for aerospace training at Ayrshire College, the Enterprise Area and the vast engineering experience in this sector on its doorstep." |