Prestwick continues to cost taxpayers after £4m loss

Glasgow Prestwick Airport has continued to shed taxpayers money, with the facility sustaining a £4 million loss.

Prestwick Airport. Picture: John Devlin

The Scottish Government-owned hub recorded the group operating loss for the year 2016-17.

The deficit was a slight improvement on the previous financial year when Prestwick lost £4.7m.

The transport hub yesterday announced its turnover for 2016-17 had risen by 18.3 per cent, climbing from £11.5m to £13.6m.

The increase coincided with airport movements growing by 8.2 per cent.

A total of 25,891 flights passed through Prestwick for the financial year.

Improved passenger numbers were also reported across the period, with 678,886 people using the airport in the year to 31 March – an increase of 8 per cent on the previous year.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport chairman Andrew Miller said: “Financial performance has started to improve with 2016-17 seeing progress and visible upturns across the business. While we have a diverse revenue base and operate in a highly competitive market, our overall turnover has increased.

“Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an important strategic asset for Scotland and we need to ensure there is capacity here to grow.”