A SENIOR executive at Prestwick Airport is stepping down to pursue "new opportunities" after five and a half years in the post.

Grant McLeod, the Chief Financial Officer at the Ayrshire base, was among the senior managers involved in negotiations leading to the airport's purchase by the Scottish Government for £1 in November 2013, after the previous owner Infratil failed to find a commercial buyer.

He will leave the company in September after the completion of key financial planning and reporting objectives.

The process to recruit his successor is underway.

Mr McLeod said: "I've enjoyed my time at Prestwick Airport but I believe it is now the right time for me to move on and focus on new opportunities."

Chief Executive Iain Cochrane said: "My colleagues and I are grateful to Grant for his contribution to the airport since joining us in 2010. He has supported Prestwick in challenging times and we wish him well in the future."

It comes as figures obtained by the Herald reveal that the total salary costs at Prestwick Airport increased by £106,000 after the taxpayer buyout - despite a fall in the number of employees.

In 2013/14, salaries totalled £8.643 million but the following year - after the Government purchase - this rose 1.2 per cent to £8.749m.

However, the increase in wages coincided with a fall in staff numbers. The average staff headcount fell from 348 to 329 year-on-year.

Even when staff numbers were calculated to take into account seasonality - meaning that the airport hires extra staff during the summer months - the headcount still fell from 311 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) in 2013/14 to 298 in 2014/15.

The increase was said to be due to the recruitment of a new air traffic controller, on a salary of more than £50,000, and various redundancy packages. Employees also received a one per cent pay rise, following a period of salary freezes.

The number of staff members earning more than £100,000 remained constant, at two.

Chief executive Ian Cochrane's salary is between £100-110,000, while Tom Wilson, the executive chairman of Prestwick Aviation Holdings, earns between £140-150,000.

The airport was running at a loss of £800,000 a month when ministers took over, but this had been halved a year into public ownership.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland salaries were an "operational matter" for the airport.

A spokesman for Prestwick Airport said: "The increase is due to the recruitment of an air traffic controller, a number of redundancies which were accepted and paid, and a one per cent airport-wide pay award."