The success of the airport highlights the importance of ignoring yapping from those who do not see the big picture - who are often unable to see beyond the short term or their particular political ideologies - and of making the right decisions for prosperity over a much longer time horizon, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell.
Prestwick Airport, for so long a target for those who wished to sneer over the Scottish Government’s 2013 rescue of this key strategic asset, had yet more good news to report on Tuesday.
The airport posted its sixth consecutive annual profit. Its operating profit was £3.5 million in the year to March 31, up by around £300,000 on the prior 12 months.
Not only that but Prestwick Airport had a very positive update on the current financial year to March 2026.
Prestwick Airport chief executive Ian Forgie said: “For the current financial year, the business has exceeded last year’s performance, already achieving its annual operating target in the first six months to September 2025, and is continuing to build on its success this year.”
The airport flagged “transformational" growth in its cargo operations.
This growth in cargo operations has been driven by Prestwick Airport’s success in attracting e-commerce flights from China.
Air China Cargo, China Southern Airlines, and Beijing Capital Airlines have all started flights from China to Prestwick this year, between them operating 16 full-freighter services a week.
Willie Mackie, who chairs Prestwick Airport, said: “This is the sixth year in a row the airport has returned a profit, and this momentum is clear evidence that the airport’s strategic focus is not only working but setting a strong foundation for long-term success.
“The performance this financial year to date has been exceptional. The last six months and in particular the growth in the airport’s cargo operations has been truly transformational and I would thank our staff for their passion and support in helping to deliver real results not only for the airport but for the wider Ayrshire economy.”
It is great to see Prestwick Airport doing so well.
And it would be difficult to overstate the importance of the airport, and the aerospace cluster around it, to the Ayrshire and broader Scottish economies.
This enormously important contribution seemed to be ignored – wilfully or otherwise – by those who were so keen to criticise the Scottish Government’s rescue of the airport. This criticism seemed in many cases to be politically motivated. Thankfully, things are a lot quieter on this front now.
There has been a lot happening in the aerospace cluster as well.
Airbus earlier this month declared it is “proud” to welcome more than 1,200 employees at Prestwick as it completed a deal with Spirit AeroSystems for the acquisition of industrial assets dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes.
The European aeroplane manufacturing giant noted it had taken ownership of the production of wing components for the A320 and A350 aircraft at Prestwick, with this operation becoming an affiliate of Airbus named Prestwick Aerosystems.
Airbus’ deal with Spirit AeroSystems, which has been acquired by Boeing, covers operations in the US, France and Morocco as well as in the UK.
Jerome Blandin, head of wing operations for Airbus' commercial aircraft, declared as he highlighted completion of the acquisition of “key work packages” at Prestwick and Belfast that the plane maker’s “immediate focus is on ensuring a smooth transition for all employees and providing stability to our operations”.
He underlined Airbus’ investment in the “long-term future of these high-value industrial sites and their skilled workforces”.
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It was good to hear such a positive tone about an operation which is so valuable in providing jobs for its highly skilled employees and so important to the Ayrshire economy.
Mr Blandin said: “We are also proud to welcome more than 1,200 employees in Prestwick, who join us as part of the affiliate business, Prestwick Aerosystems. The acquired capabilities deliver essential work content on the A320 and A350 aircraft and will provide stability and support our ramp-up objectives on both key Airbus programmes.”
Highlighting the economic importance of Prestwick Airport, Mr Forgie said on Tuesday: “The airport continues to be an important economic driver for the Ayrshire economy, directly employing more than 450 staff and, together with the successful Prestwick aerospace cluster, supports over 3,300 full-time-equivalent jobs.
"A recent economic impact assessment undertaken by the Scottish Government estimated that in the year to 31 March 2023 the airport generated £26.6m of benefits in GVA (gross value added) terms and unlocked secondary and wider GVA impacts of between £161.4m to £230.8m and £65.4m to £65.8m respectively.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: "These impressive results show that Glasgow Prestwick Airport continues to be a valuable economic asset for both Ayrshire and Scotland.
“This strong performance would not have been possible without the work of the management team, the board and the workforce."
She added: “I am determined to see Glasgow Prestwick Airport continue to grow and prosper. The fact the airport has already achieved its revenue targets for 2025/26 six months early is testament to the strengths and strategic direction the airport is developing in an incredibly competitive market.”
In these days of lamentable short-termism in so many spheres, it is thoroughly refreshing to see Prestwick Airport thriving with the successful execution of a patiently formulated and highly innovative strategy, backed by investment and a strong management team.
Prestwick Airport’s head of cargo operations, Nico Le Roux, is a veteran of this sector and it is great to see the growth in this side of the business which he projected when I interviewed him in February coming to fruition in such an impressive way.
The success of the airport highlights the importance of ignoring yapping from those who do not see the big picture - who are often unable to see beyond the short term or their particular political ideologies - and of making the right decisions for prosperity over a much longer time horizon.
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