Latest News

Prestwick Airport has hired ninety seasonal workers. The new employees will help resident carrier, Ryanair, handle its “busy summer schedule”, which includes a new flight from the Scottish airport to the Mediterranean island of Malta. The twice-weekly route, which was launched on April 14, joins Alicante in Spain and Faro in Portugal as the cornerstone of Ryanair’s ‘sun and sea’ campaign at Prestwick.

Airport chief, Iain Cochrane, said that Prestwick was “gearing up” for the warmer months. “If we do well over the summer, it will demonstrate that Prestwick can be successful in (the sun and sea) sector." Mr. Cochrane’s comments allude to a gradual shift away from the domestic routes that had once been Prestwick’s speciality, such as Dublin and Edinburgh, towards resorts in Spain, France, and Portugal.

However, local newspaper, Herald Scotland, poured cold water on the airport’s plans for the summer, by suggesting that Prestwick’s slogan, 'Pure Dead Brilliant', would be more befitting of the airport if the final adjective was removed. A little cynical, perhaps, but Prestwick is nonetheless entering the 2011 summer season with 29 fewer Ryanair flights than in the same period last year.

Passenger numbers, arguably a measure of an airport’s fortunes, are falling, from 2.4m in 2007, to 1.5m in 2010. Prestwick has not turned a profit in two years, and that situation is unlikely to change, according to Louise Congdon, partner at York Aviation, who notes that airports struggle to make money unless they can anticipate annual passenger numbers in excess of 2m people.

Ryanair is currently the linchpin in Prestwick’s business, providing 24 of the hub’s 28 routes. The other four destinations are operated by Polish carrier, WizzAir, Newmarket Holidays, and Atlantic Holidays. The airline offers some financial security, but Prestwick’s future is nonetheless controlled by an airline that is prone to sudden, sweeping cancellations. The Irish carrier has already demonstrated this trait at Prestwick Airport, forcing 40 redundancies, and seeing off 40,039 passengers between January 2010 and the same month this year.

Whether the Herald’s doomsaying is justified will soon become clear. However, few would deny that Prestwick’s reliance on Ryanair is unhealthy. Finding another airline to compete with the carrier is imperative if bosses want to avoid a scenario in which Scotland's fourth airport only has a handful of routes on its books.

The latest figures released by New Zealand-based firm, Infratil, have revealed that Glasgow Prestwick Airport lost 40,039 travellers between January 2010 and the same month this year. The slump, equal to a 40% reduction in passenger numbers, is the result of capacity cuts by budget airline, Ryanair.

Whilst it would have been easy for Infratil to heap blame on Michael O’Leary’s airline, the Kiwi firm has singled out the Air Passenger Duty (APD) as the reason for Prestwick’s sour fortunes. Last year, O’Leary referred to APD as “tourism suicide” and “insanely stupid”, before making a decision to base fewer planes in the UK. The Irishman’s pledge ultimately resulted in the loss of domestic routes between Prestwick and airports in London and Belfast.

Comparisons will inevitably be made between the figures for January 2011, and those for October 2010, when the hub recorded a 17% boom in the number of people choosing to fly from Prestwick. The stark contrast in performance serves to emphasise just how much the Scottish hub relies on Ryanair to bring passengers and business into Ayrshire, a dependence that has previously been criticised by local MP, Brian Donohoe.

The termination of Ryanair flights from Prestwick has also forced 40 redundancies, around 10% of the hub’s workforce. Iain Cochrane, chief executive at the airport, said that the aviation industry was struggling with a “very difficult market” at present. However, Mr. Cochrane was hopeful that a series of new flights, due to debut this summer, would dispel the black clouds hovering over Prestwick. The new destinations include Spain, Portugal, the island of Majorca, and the Canary Islands.

Infratil, which also owns Kent Manston airport in the UK, and a 66% share in Wellington Airport in New Zealand, said that freight numbers were “performing strongly” at Prestwick. The Scottish airport also enjoyed a minor passenger boost in December, as heavy snowfall forced Edinburgh and Glasgow-bound aircraft to divert to Prestwick.

Prestwick Airport's resident airlines, Ryanair, Flybe, Wizz Air, and Freebird Airlines, which may or may not be named after the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, helped more passengers find their holiday destinations in October 2010 than in the same period last year. The rise, a boost of around 17%, has been attributed to the collapse of major airline, Flyglobespan, at Edinburgh Airport.

The Ayrshire hub is likely to have experienced higher than normal traffic in November and early December too, as Edinburgh and Glasgow, the first and second largest airports in Scotland, were forced to divert 30 flights to Prestwick due to heavy snow. Prestwick is frequently used as a ‘safety net’ for planes that cannot land at other airports, due to its apparent invulnerability to the elements.

In total, 177,280 travellers paid a visit to Prestwick in October 2010, a good 25,000 more than in October 2009. Graeme Sweenie, CEO at New Zealand firm, and current owner of Prestwick, Infratil, noted that the airport had a “strong summer,” buoyed by the loss of 24 Flyglobespan routes at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. The airline’s demise sent its 1.6m annual passengers to other carriers, such as Ryanair at Prestwick.

October might seem like a slow month with regard to people jetting off on holiday, especially when compared to August or December, but the school half term at the end of the month is becoming an increasingly lucrative period for UK airlines. Budget flights from Prestwick to Arrecife on Lanzarote and Faro in Portugal are helping families escape the Great British drizzle, whilst the city of Riga in Latvia, also on Prestwick’s books, is an ideal location for ballet and theatre fans.

However, Graeme Sweenie remains cautious about the bleak mid-winter months, to quote a carol, noting that the colder season tends to be “challenging” for the aviation industry.

Aviation firm, National Air Traffic Services (NATS), has raised concerns about a proposed wind farm near Prestwick Airport, claiming that the blades of wind turbines could create "clutter" on radar screens, endangering nearby aircraft.

The farm, which is being managed by Scottish and Southern Energy Renewables (SSE), will be located 35 miles east of Prestwick, on either side of the M74 motorway.

SSE wants to build 152 turbines on the site, with a view to infusing the Scottish power grid with an extra 548 megawatts of electricity, enough to keep toasters running in 320,000 homes.

However, the development could ‘blind’ NATS’ traffic tower at Prestwick Airport to approaching aircraft. The aviation firm appears to be particularly concerned about light planes, which have smaller radar signatures, and are more likely to be hidden beneath other radar objects, such as windmill blades.

Criticism from NATS appears to have taken SSE by surprise. The energy firm has “miscalculated the impact” that the windmills could have on Scottish aviation, according to local newspaper, the Evening Times, prompting organisers to delay the project for up to a year and a half.

A statement on the NATS website reads, “Wind farms can degrade the performance of voice communications facilities and en-route navigation aids.” To compensate, the company has been given 18 months to build a new traffic tower in Glasgow, which should counteract any negative effects that the wind farm has on radars.

NATS regularly assesses the impact of near-airport developments on aviation through a specialist department known as NERL (NATS En Route PLC).

Ryanair’s decision to pull half of its winter flights out of Prestwick Airport could have resounding consequences for the local workforce. The Ayrshire hub has revealed that up to a third of its permanent staff members could be fired, as passenger numbers at the airport continue to fall.

Prestwick employs around 410 people at present, including those housed in the various retail units around the site.

Job cuts will leave the hub shorthanded, but bosses have envisaged a plan to retrain staff to take on multiple tasks. Fire fighters could be encouraged to take on baggage handling duties, for example, but hopefully, the scheme doesn’t work in reverse: baggage staff are unlikely to be as efficient at dousing flames.

The airport will consult with unions and workers before axing any jobs. Iain Cochrane, the airport’s CEO, claims that Prestwick is ‘optimistic’ about the future, but warned that job cuts are ‘likely,’ - ‘these are extremely difficult times. I am very sorry to say that in this review it is likely that there will be redundancies.’

Mr. Cochrane went on to list the problems that the airport was facing, including the Air Passenger Duty and the growing trend in ‘staycations’ – Brits holidaying at home. Prestwick is at the mercy of Ryanair, however, and the airline’s decision to cut 52% of its winter flights has done damage to the tiny airport.

In December, Ayrshire MP, Brian Donohoe, warned Prestwick bosses about the possibility of a Ryanair exodus, and even went to the trouble of phoning rival airlines, in an attempt to lure extra business to the airport.

The MP’s clairvoyance will be of no comfort to Prestwick’s beleaguered workers now though, as many of them could be jobless by the time the advent calendars appear on supermarket shelves. Irene Oldfather, another Scottish MP, expressed ‘deep disappointment’ at the news.

Last week, a Scottish police force bought chocolate and bottled water for 168 air travellers, after their Ryanair plane became stranded on a runway at Prestwick Airport. The aircraft, which was bound for Girona, Spain had been waiting on the Ayrshire tarmac for six hours, unable to take off.

There was nothing wrong with the plane, but a strike of air traffic controllers in France meant that airspace in Western Europe was subject to extensive queuing. The strike forced hundreds of cancellations at Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports. Teachers, train drivers, dockworkers, and factory hands were also refusing to work.

Ryanair’s ‘hostages,’ to quote the Scottish Sun newspaper, became agitated when staff refused to allow them any water or food. Travellers were permitted to use toilet facilities, but they were not allowed access to the aircraft’s bar, and told to remain in their seats in case the plane was granted clearance to fly.

The warm weather made the situation worse – with the engine switched off, the aircraft’s fans were not functioning. The problem was exacerbated when a bottle of water was handed to the pilot, but not to any of passengers, many of whom were worried about their children becoming dehydrated.

Fearing a revolt, the budget carrier called Strathclyde police at 18.00. ‘It was hectic,’ explained Sarah Toom, one of the stranded passengers. ‘Parents with young kids were getting upset and raising their voices. There was a loud cheer when police showed up with food and water.’ No arrests were made, and the plane finally took off at 19.49.

Ryanair claims that its staff were following aviation laws by not allowing passengers access to bars and food trolleys. The airline has since apologised for the incident.

Almost 1,000 people have signed a petition to rename Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Robert Burns International. The petition, which originated on a Facebook page, urges airport bosses to embrace Burns as the airport’s namesake, rather than Scotland’s second city, Glasgow, which is located more than 32 miles to the northeast.

When Prestwick chief, Steve Fitzpatrick, decided to adopt a new slogan in 2005, local people were eager to see which elements of Ayrshire life he would choose to immortalise on the terminal walls. Mr. Fitzpatrick promised to provide something ‘fun, and a little bit edgy,’ that would attract foreign visitors to local attractions.

Five years later, many Ayrshire residents are still reeling from Mr. Fitzpatrick’s edgy slogan, which not only embraced life in the wrong city, it implied that Prestwick Airport was little more than a concrete zombie. The words ‘Pure Dead Brilliant,’ a Glaswegian colloquialism, ultimately became both a slogan for a Scottish airport, and a lesson in how not to market a business.

Glasgow Prestwick is therefore, one of the most oddly named airports in the UK. The new Facebook petition seeks to fix the hub’s moniker, however, by exorcising all traces of Glasgow from the airport's name, and by embracing a true local hero in Robert, or ‘Rabbie’, Burns.

'It’s an embarrassment leaving and entering Prestwick as it is,' Colin Shearer, a concerned campaigner, explained. 'Belfast has George Best and Liverpool has John Lennon. Both will be forgotten long before Robert Burns.’

The poet and lyricist was born just four miles to the south of Prestwick, in the town of Alloway, Ayrshire. You can view the petition online via the associated Facebook page or at the official GoPetition website.

Parking costs at Prestwick Airport are so high that many travellers are opting to leave their cars on the streets, much to the dismay of local residents. The issue is not a new one, having been passed from consultant to councillor for over two years, but householders recently renewed their efforts to unclog residential roads.

According to the South Ayrshire Council, all parking-related offences are the domain of the police force. Councillors have nevertheless earmarked £100,000 to solve Prestwick’s congestion problems, whilst urging the airport to reduce parking costs, and help improve an ‘utterly ridiculous’ situation,

Residents called into question the dedication of local traffic wardens, who have let rule-breakers go without so much as a stern word. Prestwick’s householders have also asked the council to keep an eye on roads susceptible to stationary traffic, in a bid to prevent further violations by airport travellers.

Local councillor, Helen Moonie, was incredulous – ‘It costs less to fly on holiday than park at the airport for two weeks. That’s the real problem. I’ve even heard of examples where people park in the street and then catch a cab to the airport.’

The airport is currently selling parking spaces for up to £70 per fortnight, depending on whether the customer books in advance. A pre-booked space is around £10 cheaper. Mrs. Moonie warned that congestion could become uncontrollable if the problem was left untended.

South Ayrshire Council has already attempted to alleviate the concerns of residents by conducting research into parking behaviour around the airport. The final report, which recommended a number of changes to local parking laws, was not well received by residents, and many felt that the council did not attempt to back up its promises with tangible results.

Related Links

£574 for a Parking Space

Parking Scam Smashed by Council

In December, Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe lamented Ryanair’s stranglehold on Prestwick Airport, warning that one axed flight could spell tragedy for the travel hub.

Just three months into the New Year, Mr Donohoe’s dislike for Prestwick Airport appears wholly forgotten about after Ryanair announced yet another expansion to its Ayrshire base. From the beginning of May, the Irish carrier is to add an extra flight per week to five destinations, including Carcassonne in France and Palma in Spain.

The news comes just weeks after Ryanair commissioned a new maintenance hanger to be built at Prestwick, the second of its kind in the area. The airport is also the home of the largest control tower in Europe, again completed within the last few weeks.

Prestwick’s future is not as bright as it seems, however: passenger numbers are still well below normal. In January, just over 100,000 people flew from Prestwick Airport, a 22% nosedive on the same period last year. The airport’s owner, Infratil, a company from New Zealand, blamed poor weather for the lull, despite Prestwick’s reputation as one of the most resilient airports in the UK.

With regard to Ryanair’s latest expansion, Brian Donohoe was bursting with joy. He said that the "enormous surge in business" was "very, very good news", and said that he was "absolutely delighted". The MP, who represents the Labour Party, is a keen follower of the airport’s fortunes.

Ryanair has almost trebled its presence at Prestwick since December: the carrier now has six aeroplanes on the runway and 29 routes on its Ayrshire schedules. The latest announcement also extends the firm’s commitment to Malaga and Alicante in Spain, and Faro in Portugal by one flight per week.

Michael O’Leary’s airline, Ryanair, is to build a new maintenance hangar at Prestwick airport, creating up to 200 jobs. The carrier has also announced an extension of its sun and sea routes from the Scottish airport, commencing in May 2010.

Prestwick might not be the most famous airport in the UK, and few people can claim to know exactly where it is, but the site has an illustrious history, being the only place in Britain to have felt the feet of the late Elvis Presley, and having the largest control tower in Europe within its perimeter.

The airport is increasingly becoming a focus for new aviation technologies, surpassing even the largest regional sites, such as Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow airports, and etching out a niche as one of the most reliable airports in Britain. Prestwick is rarely beaten by the elements.

O’Leary’s new hangar, which will become the second such building under Ryanair control, could boost the number of airline jobs in the area to 2400, cementing the carrier’s position as one of the largest employers in the Ayrshire region.

Construction will be subsidised by the Scottish government, to the tune of £1.5m in training grants and business funding. Alex Salmond, First Minister of the Scottish National Party, praised Ryanair’s efforts to support the local economy:

“Ryanair makes a substantial contribution to Scotland's economy through its engineering facilities. Investment at Prestwick supports this government's ambition to increase sustainable economic growth by creating quality new jobs."

The airline recently announced three new routes at Edinburgh, including Scotland’s first ever route to Morocco.

Related Links

Europe's Largest Control Tower

Prestwick Depends on Ryanair

Prestwick Weathers Fog Fiasco

Prestwick has become the home of the largest air traffic control centre in Europe, as part of a plan to streamline traffic operations throughout the UK. The structure will have responsibility for almost half of the country’s aircraft movements when a similar centre in Manchester is closed later this year.

Costing around £180m to build, Prestwick’s new centre will watch out for aeroplanes in Scotland, Northern England and Ireland, and the skies over the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of responsibility is in excess of 2m square kilometres.

A second control centre, located in Hampshire, will guard the Midlands, Wales, London, and the Home Counties.

The are controlled by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which employs roughly 800 people at the Prestwick centre alone. A further 130 controllers will be relocated to Scotland when the Manchester centre is closed.

Prestwick boss, Pauline Lamb, was delighted with the new air traffic control centre – “We started building in 2005, and now here we stand fully operational, under budget and on time. There is a real sense of achievement for everybody involved."

The control centre will be officially opened on the 5th of February, at a ceremony attended by Princess Anne. The centre is the second such building at the site, standing near a similar structure that was built in the 1980s.

Prestwick will now handle up to a million flights a year, encompassing both civilian and military aeroplanes. In total, NATS was responsible for the well-being of 2.2m aircraft during 2009, a reduction of 9.6% over 2008.

Related Links

Revamp for Tumbledown Tower

Woolly hats are back in fashion again, after the British weather took a turn for the worst over the weekend. Snow flurries, heavy rain and blanket fog have caused chaos up and down the country, with many UK airports encountering long delays.

Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were forced to concede to stubborn fog on Friday - ten flights were redirected to Prestwick, but delays continued to mount up. Planes from Liverpool and Stornoway, a small town on the Isle of Lewis, and distant Southampton have also found their way to the Ayrshire airport. Prestwick has been asked to prepare for more arrivals. Flights from Scotland to London were similarly affected, after fog sneaked into Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted.

Meteorologists noted that temperatures were as low as minus seven in Aberdeenshire, with more cold weather expected over the coming days. Snowfall continues to pester the north of England.

Low temperatures, and an absence of strong winds have compounded the problems experienced by Glasgow and Edinburgh, as fog will not move unless it is evaporated or blown away.

Prestwick enjoys relatively clear skies all year round, however, making it a perfect haven for planes stuck in the mist. Iain Cochrane, boss at Prestwick, was unfazed by the change in the weather – “Our staff are doing an excellent job in helping passengers get to their destinations with minimal inconvenience.”

Edinburgh Airport has advised all travellers to be prepared for delays. Please contact your airline directly if you have any concerns about your flight.

Prestwick Airport depends on Ryanair for its income, according to Ayrshire MP, Brian Donohoe. The airline offers more than ten direct flights from the Glasgow site, many of which travel to continental Europe.

Ryanair is no stranger to the headlines. Stuff the firm into your favourite search engine, and a catalogue of hidden charges, flight cancellations, and executive rants will meet you on the screen.

Probe a little deeper and you’ll discover that Ryanair was instrumental in the job cuts that blighted this year’s warm summer.

After deserting Robin Hood Airport altogether, the airline struck a blow to handling firm, Servisair, by cutting its winter sun schedule into tiny pieces. Newcastle was similarly hit, but soon found solace in budget airline, Jet2.

Mr. Donohoe fears that Ryanair’s tempestuous relationship with the aviation industry could pose a threat to Prestwick Airport, after summer cutbacks reduced the number of seats available to Scottish travellers by thirty percent.

The MP has begun phoning other airlines in a desperate bid to draw more business to the Glasgow airport.

“Prestwick has practically all of its eggs in one basket. If Ryanair cuts just one service, this has knock-on effects; not just on the airport itself, but on many other businesses in the area.” Mr. Donohoe explained.

The timing of the announcement was unusual, however. Ryanair recently revealed an extension to its operations at Prestwick, including one new route to Carcassonne, France.

Despite adopting a "cautiously optimistic" stance on Prestwick's future, Mr. Donohoe is clearly taking no chances with Michael O’Leary’s airline.

Related Links

Robin Hood Stung by Budget Airline

RyanAir Blamed for Job Cuts

Jet2 Adds Five New Routes

Whilst Heathrow Airport contends with terrorists, super villains and would-be illegal immigrants, Glasgow Prestwick has been fighting a losing battle against a different foe altogether.

The Ayrshire site has been evacuated three times in the last month, due to burnt toast. Fire crews arrived to find nothing amiss, save for the thick black smoke pouring out of the staffroom doors.

Bosses blamed immigration officers for the lapse, which forced thousands of travellers to flee the airport. Prestwick has since been asked to consider a full toaster-ban to prevent further disruption.

Visitors to the Daily Record website, a Scottish newspaper, were bemused – “The first toaster incident should have led to an outright ban. One can only hope it's not the same management in charge of aircraft safety.”

Fire crews were concerned that the false alarms could put lives at risk, but claimed a lasting relationship with the airport. Prestwick has reminded all airport staff of the proper way to use a toaster.

October and November were difficult months for Prestwick – ignoring the toast fiasco; the airport recorded a 28% drop in passenger numbers over the same period last year. Officials downplayed the news, citing a number of new routes as potential growth areas.

Around thirty different destinations are now available to sun worshippers, departing in summer 2010. Carcassonne, an ancient city in Languedoc, France is the latest addition, provided by budget airline, Ryanair.

Prestwick claims to be Scotland’s most popular airport for holidaymakers, but further evacuations could really upset the airport’s business model.

Related Links

Prestwick Airport Receives New Routes

It seems as if news of massive job cuts makes the headlines every day at the moment. The credit crunch simply keeps claiming new victims and it seems like there is no end in sight. Now Prestwick Airport, which is located in Ayrshire, has announced that approximately 240 members of staff could be made redundant as part of a drastic yet necessary cost-cutting scheme.

This figure may seem negligible compared to the thousands of staff members in large companies made redundant within days during the past few months. However, the figure is actually rather shocking since the overall number of people working at Prestwick Airport is 500. This means that airport officials are considering sacking almost half of their members of staff.

The plans have been necessitated by a decline in both passenger and freight numbers. The decline in freight figures has hit the airport particularly hard, since Prestwick used to be the largest freight handler in the United Kingdom prior to FedEx’s move to Stansted airport. However, the chief executive of the airport, Mark Rodwell, has stated that the officials are doing all they can to seek alternative options before making the job cuts.

Officials will look closely at the “workload of the airport” over the months to come and will assess the “number of employees who are needed to deliver that workload”. Ultimately, Mr. Rodwell believes, like many other chief executives involved in the aviation industry, that 2009 will be an extremely tough year but the aim of the airport is still to “avoid job losses where possible”.

Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire may not be a household name south of the border (although it does have the surprising claim to fame as being the only part of the UK ever to have been visited by Elvis Presley) but things are looking decidedly rosy for the Scottish airport.

Unlike many of its more well-known competitors, passenger numbers for September 2008 rose for the fifth consecutive month and work has recently started on a £1.7 million expansion plan for the airport.

The collapse of Seguro Holidays in September meant a drop in charter traffic but the airport remains a firm favourite with budget airlines such as Ryanair, Aer Arann, and Wizz Air. The £1.7 million is to be spent on expanding and refurbishing the departure lounge, a move which will be welcomed by the passengers using the airport. John Scott, MSP for Ayr, is delighted by the expansion and the benefits which it will bring to the region’s economy. Prestwick is the main employer in the area.

The airport predicts that passenger numbers will more than double in the next ten years. As Scotland’s fastest growing airport, it expects to take more of the Scottish market in the future and believes that if its rail service can be improved, it will do even better. Currently 20% of its passengers arrive and depart from the airport by train but with a restricted service in terms of operating hours this is not always an option for holiday makers and business travellers.

Prestwick Airport is to receive new flights to Tenerife, Malaga and Faro as part of the biggest expansion in budget airline Ryanair’s history.

The huge expansion is taking place all across the UK and Europe, with 12 new flights from the UK and 40 new routes across the continent expected to be up and running by the time winter sets in.

The new additions mean that Ryanair will now run 29 routes out of Prestwick Airport. This also includes a new additional flight to Belfast every day, adding to the one that already departs daily from the airport.

Mark Rodwell, chief executive of Prestick Airport, said that the new routes to Spain and Portugal demonstrate “Ryanair’s commitment to expand and offer the best choice of European routes from Glasgow Prestwick Airport”.

He also said that the new destinations had “always been popular among Scots” and that the low fares offered by Ryanair will make them doubly attractive for holidaymakers.

Ryanair has been offering special £10 seats throughout June and July to celebrate their expansion of new routes, although the flights from Prestwick will not be available until the end of October.

The new flight details are as follows:

• Destination: Tenerife
• Days: Mondays and Fridays
• Flights begin: 27th October 2008
• Price: between £50 and £75 (one way with fees)

• Destination: Malaga
• Days: Mondays , Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Flights begin: 27th October 2008
• Price: £44.06 (one way with fees)

• Destination: Faro
• Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
• Flights begin: 29th October 2008
• Price: £50.06 (one way with fees)

All flights are available to buy now from Ryanair.

May 26th 2008 saw the announcement of a new holiday option for travellers from Prestwick Airport, as Scottravel Holidays officially launched a new route to Turkey.

The flight will take place once every week during the summer months, and many people are expected to take advantage of the new route. For a long time now, Turkey has been viewed as a great holiday destination. However, for many people, it has not been a viable option due to a limited number of flights departing from smaller airports.

Travellers will arrive at Dalaman, and from here they will be able to reach the popular and lively resort of Marmaris, a town steeped in history but one which also caters for the package holiday crowd, with a large number of restaurants, hotels and nightclubs. For those searching for a quieter break, the nearby İçmeler is a relaxing choice.

However, the choice is not limited to these locations as Ovacık and Ölüdeniz, located in the Fethiye region, will also be easily accessible to tourists taking advantage of the new route. Indeed, Serkan Aydin, Managing Director of Scottravel Holidays, has said that “we can create the perfect Turkish adventure to suit all tastes and budgets”.

Turkey offers a great alternative to other European destinations. It has a fantastic climate, the temperature soars in the summer and it is steeped in history and culture. Typically known as the point where East meets West, it has Iraq on one side and the rest of Europe on the other.

Mark Rodwell, Chief Executive of Prestwick Airport, focused on the benefits of travelling to Turkey when he said: “Many holidaymakers are now turning their attention away from the more traditional European destinations, due to a very unfavourable exchange rate from the pound to the Euro”.

Flight prices vary but as a guide, Thomas Cook offers a one-way flight for £43.99, including all taxes and charges.

November 2005 will see the commencement of services between Glasgow Prestwick airport and Krakow, Poland.
The service, which will operate three times a week, is to be one of the few services flying direct to Krakow from the UK, meaning that it is expected to be popular.
For latest news and developments check the <a href="http://www.gpia.co.uk/general/news.asp" target="_blank">official news
pages</a>.

Passenger numbers were up 15% in June this year, compared to June 2004.
The overall figures show that the passenger numbers are up by 10% for the year.

The end of July saw Prestwick's 10,000,000th passenger pass through its gates.
The passenger, who was checking in to fly to Murcia with Ryanair, was surprised to be told that she was the 10,000,000th passenger, and was presented with a goodie bag and bottle of champagne - along with her travelling companion.

There’s no doubt about it – birds are a dangerous menace to aircraft and, when they choose to take up residence near a runway, desperate measures are called for.

Last week, an RAF aircraft from RAF Leuchars in Fife had to divert to Edinburgh Airport because of a “bird strike” in the air and, in 1980, two RAF pilots were killed after striking birds not long after they took off from RAF Kinloss. In 2006, a Ryanair plane taking off from Prestwick airport had to land, after a seagull was sucked into its engine. The list of mishaps, some of them fatal, involving birds and planes goes on and on. But what can be done to solve the problem?

Prestwick airport is delighted to announce the arrival of Jasper, a Harris hawk who, it is hoped, will scare away the flock of seagulls that are nesting on the roof of a Scottish Water building, close to the airport’s runway. Birds of prey have already earned their keep at Leeds, Bradford, Exeter and many American airports, including JFK.

Jasper’s appointment follows unsuccessful attempts to see the gulls off, including installing protective netting, removing the birds’ nests and using an artificial bird of prey, which obviously did not fool the gulls. Grass near the runway is kept short so that birds are not tempted to nest there and recordings of distressed bird call are played in an attempt to frighten the birds away. It is only to be hoped that Rentokil’s Jasper will have more success in this humane fight against these determined gulls.