Glasgow Prestwick Airport has recorded a sixth consecutive year of operating profit, driven largely by continued growth in its cargo operations and steady recovery across its wider business.
The airport returned an operating profit of £3.5 million for the year to 31 March 2025, up £300,000 on the previous year. Performance has strengthened further in the current financial year, with Prestwick already meeting its full-year operating target within the first six months to September 2025. Over the past 18 months, £10 million has been reinvested into airfield infrastructure, ground services equipment and security.
Three years ago, the airport set out a strategy focused on using existing assets more effectively while expanding beyond core passenger services. A central element has been increasing its share of the international cargo market, where Prestwick has long experience handling freighter aircraft and specialist movements.
That approach has resulted in a significant increase in freight activity. Prestwick has positioned itself as an alternative UK cargo gateway for Asia, with two Chinese carriers opening bases at the airport in May 2025 and launching scheduled daily services to China.
“Cargo volumes are set to treble in 2025/26 with the Airport currently handling 21 wide-bodied freighters a week and more than 3,800 tonnes of cargo a month,” said chief executive Ian Forgie. “This has created more than 150 new jobs at the Airport this year and supports wider economic activity across Ayrshire and Scotland.”
He added that the airport is increasingly supporting Scottish exports such as seafood and whisky, particularly into mainland China and Hong Kong, and confirmed that further investment has been made to support the expanding cargo operation.
Prestwick remains a major employer in the region, directly employing more than 450 staff and supporting over 3,300 full-time equivalent jobs when the wider Prestwick Aerospace cluster is included. A Scottish Government economic impact assessment estimated that in the year to March 2023 the airport generated £26.6 million in direct gross value added, with wider economic impacts running into the hundreds of millions.
The airport also continues to play a strategic role for defence and security. Prestwick regularly handles aircraft from NATO-aligned forces, including the RAF, US Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force, and its facilities were used during the recent visit to Scotland by the US President and other senior international leaders. The Royal Navy operating base at the airport remains an important part of activity linked to protection of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Passenger traffic has also improved. Ryanair marked 30 years of operations at Prestwick in 2024, with a 4 percent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers and additional summer frequencies. The airline’s on-site maintenance, repair and overhaul facility employs more than 600 people, and a £5 million investment in its training centre is expected to support hundreds of new engineering and technician training places.
GPA chair Willie Mackie said the latest results reflect consistent execution of the airport’s strategy. “This is the sixth year in a row the airport has returned a profit, and the performance this financial year to date has been exceptional,” he said. “In particular, the growth in cargo operations has delivered clear benefits for the airport and the wider Ayrshire economy.”
