The Scottish Government is planning to buy Prestwick Airport, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
Ministers hope to complete negotiations with owners Infratil on the terms of sale in six weeks, she told the Scottish Parliament.
“We want to secure the future of Prestwick Airport and the businesses that depend on it. We want to reassure staff that we will work with them to make the airport a success,” she said.
“I can therefore advise Parliament that the Scottish Government has advised the current owners of the airport our intention to commence a process towards acquisition of Prestwick Airport.”
The airport, in South Ayrshire, has been offered for sale along with ManstonAirport in Kent by its New Zealand-based owner since March last year, Ms Sturgeon said.
Private investors have shown interest but none was able to commit on a timescale acceptable to Infratil.
Closing the airport would be a “serious and unwelcome development”, she told MSPs.
About 300 people depend directly on the airport for employment, with 1,400 associated with the facility. A wider “aerospace cluster” at Prestwick supports about 3,200 jobs.
“We believe Prestwick Airport can have a positive future,” she told MSPs.
“It will require investment and it will take time. However, we believe it can be returned to profitability.
“We also estimate that the cost of closure to the public purse would be very significant and this is an important factor in our decision.
“We are therefore determined that the airport’s economic contribution, including the direct and indirect employment opportunities offered by the airport and its related businesses, should be maintained and then enhanced.”
Ms Sturgeon stressed that the airport remains open for business.
“This is a point I want to emphasise not just to parliament, but also to the airport staff, to passengers who have already booked to fly, and to those considering Prestwick Airport for their next holiday or business trip,” she said.
“Prestwick Airport is, and will continue to be, fully open for business.”
The Scottish Government already owns 11 airports, mainly small operations providing links to remote communities.