Prestwick airport: Nicola Sturgeon to outline future plan
Prestwick airport: Nicola Sturgeon outlines nearly £7m of new investment
(35 minutes later)
Local politicians believe Prestwick Airport can be a success as the Scottish government is poised to announce plans for its future.
Prestwick Airport is to receive nearly £7m investment from the Scottish government, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to reveal a long-term vision for the airport to Holyrood's infrastructure committee later.
The additional funding is intended to tackle a backlog of repairs and to make improvements to the terminal building.
Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood's infrastructure committee the airport would be operated under public ownership "on a commercial basis".
The Scottish government bought the struggling airport for £1 last year.
The Scottish government bought the struggling airport for £1 last year.
Local MP Brian Donohoe and campaigner George Kerevan told BBC Scotland it could be improved in public hands.
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.
It was bought from New Zealand airport operator Infratil amid fears it could be forced to close due to heavy losses.
She added that there was "no quick fix solution for Prestwick" and the airport may not be profitable for several years.
But the Scottish government hopes it can revive the fortunes of an airport that supports 3,200 jobs and is estimated to be worth £60m to the Scottish economy.
'Major facility'
George Kerevan, of the Prestwick World Festival of Flight, which will re-launch the air show at the facility in September, said: "Prestwick is actually a very viable airport.
"It is very well connected in terms of rail transport, it is very well connected in terms of its size - it can take huge jumbos.
"One of the problems Prestwick has had is that the previous owners, far from being effective or efficient, they ran the place down.
"Infratil had invested in a whole range of airports across Europe and they decided to concentrate on some rather than others
"They did not spend enough, particularly in marketing it, and I want to see a lot of marketing money.
"It is a major facility. It is not just a facility for passenger traffic - it could be a major base for freight across the North Atlantic and it's an industrial hub."
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.
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.
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.
Mr Donohoe, the Labour MP for Central Ayrshire, played down concerns that government help would be unfair to rival airports in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
"Glasgow got subsidy to introduce Jet 2 and Edinburgh got subsidy because of the tram line," he said. "Dundee has had subsidy.
"It makes sense for the public sector to have it under its control for an interim period of time given that it does add quite significantly to the whole economy of Ayrshire and wider afield."
Mr Donohoe was hopeful that the Scottish government would include plans to improve connections between Prestwick and London airports, increase air freight, make the airport the primary destination for diverted flights from other UK airports and build on its reputation for pilot training.
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."
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's evidence session on Prestwick Airport can be watched live or on demand at BBC Scotland's Democracy Live.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's evidence session on Prestwick Airport can be watched live or on demand at BBC Scotland's Democracy Live.
