Glasgow Prestwick Airport has completed a substantial infrastructure upgrade to support Royal Air Force Voyager operations under Project MACE, with an RAF Voyager becoming the first aircraft to operate from the new surface on 2 June, according to specialist airfield contractor Lagan Airport Maintenance Ltd.

The work, delivered by LAML under contract to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, included the construction of four new maintenance pads and more than 70,000 square metres of resurfacing on Apron Charlie. Pavement reconstruction was also carried out to ensure the apron could accommodate the heavier aircraft now using the airport with greater frequency. The company described the project as one of the largest infrastructure investments at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in recent years.

Project MACE is the Ministry of Defence’s arrangement to temporarily host the RAF’s Voyager A330 air-to-air refuelling fleet at Glasgow Prestwick Airport during a major resurfacing of the aerodrome operating surfaces at RAF Brize Norton. The Brize Norton runway, at 3,050 metres one of the busiest in defence, requires a full resurfacing programme that follows years of patch repairs and was last subject to emergency maintenance after heat damage in 2022. The full resurfacing is being delivered by VolkerFitzpatrick under a programme that began enabling works earlier in the year and is scheduled to complete in 2027.

During the period the airfield is closed, all aircraft normally based at RAF Brize Norton are being relocated to alternative sites across the United Kingdom. According to the Royal Air Force, the Atlas and Globemaster fleets will operate primarily out of MoD Boscombe Down with occasional use of Bournemouth Airport, while the A330 Voyager fleet will operate out of Prestwick, East Midlands and Stansted airports. Aircraft began moving in July and are expected to return to Brize Norton in late November once the resurfacing is complete.

The Ministry of Defence selected Prestwick as the principal Voyager dispersal location on the basis that it was the only United Kingdom airport that could accommodate the full seven-aircraft Voyager fleet alongside the secure communications and operational support required. A government transparency notice published in June 2025 set the initial Prestwick contract value at £1.2 million including VAT, covering infrastructure works including the installation of concrete jacking pads required for safe and compliant aircraft maintenance. The MoD stated at the time that, without the temporary facilities, the Voyager fleet would be unable to support the fast jet force that defends United Kingdom airspace.

The Airbus A330 Voyager is the Royal Air Force’s principal air-to-air refuelling and strategic transport aircraft, operated under the AirTanker private finance initiative with the core fleet of fourteen aircraft based at RAF Brize Norton. The type carries out a wide range of tasks beyond air-to-air refuelling, including movement of personnel and freight on routine air bridge runs, support to operational deployments, and the carriage of ministers and senior officials. The aircraft’s size and weight place demanding requirements on the airfield infrastructure that hosts it, and pavement strength has been a recurring consideration for sites looking to support the type.

LAML described the works at Prestwick as having been completed on programme and without incident despite what the company called challenging weather conditions. The conclusion of the project was marked by the 2 June Voyager arrival on the upgraded surface, which the contractor characterised as a demonstration of immediate operational utility.

The company also thanked its supply chain partners for the delivery of the work.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport, owned by the Scottish Government since 2013, has long held ambitions for a more substantial role within the United Kingdom’s defence and civil aviation footprint. The site is the only airport in Scotland with a runway capable of handling the largest civil and military aircraft without restriction, and it has been the regular host of United States military flights routing between North America and Europe and the Middle East. Voyager operations under Project MACE add to that pattern of military activity.