Glasgow Prestwick Airport may not resemble a traditional military installation, but for the Royal Canadian Air Force, it now functions very much like a forward air base.
Quietly operating from the Scottish west coast, a growing Canadian military presence has transformed Prestwick into a key hub for transatlantic airlift, NATO logistics, and support to Ukraine.
The Royal Canadian Air Force has a historic and ongoing connection with Prestwick Airport in Scotland, beginning during the Second World War. In October 1940, No. 1 (RCAF) Squadron, a fighter unit that had faced heavy combat during the Battle of Britain, was temporarily stationed at RAF Prestwick to rest and reconstitute after significant losses.
During the war, Prestwick emerged as a vital hub for transatlantic ferry flights, supporting the delivery of military aircraft from North America to Europe under the RAF Ferry Command. Later, No. 168 Squadron RCAF, established in 1943, used Prestwick as a key stopover for mail and transport flights linking Canada and the United Kingdom.
In more recent times, the RCAF renewed its presence at Prestwick with the creation of Air Task Force Prestwick in September 2022. This operational unit has played a critical role in contemporary missions, including facilitating aid deliveries to Ukraine and supporting NATO operations throughout Europe.
How Prestwick Became Canada’s Airlift Hub in Europe
In late March 2022, as the international community responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Canada stood up a Tactical Airlift Detachment at Prestwick. Initially consisting of two RCAF CC-130J Hercules transport aircraft and their crews, the detachment began operating out of the airport to move urgent supplies and military aid into Europe.
Within months, the mission expanded. By September 2022, Canada added a third Hercules and increased its deployed personnel to roughly 55–60 Canadian Armed Forces members. The detachment was re-designated Air Task Force – Prestwick (ATF-P) to reflect its broadened scope and permanence.
The task force has since evolved into a full-fledged Air Mobility Hub in Europe, handling everything from aircraft maintenance and cargo operations to crew administration. The team regularly supports not only the three Hercules aircraft but also larger RCAF CC-177 Globemaster III cargo jets rotating through the airport.
Air Task Force – Prestwick plays a central role in Canada’s ongoing support to Ukraine. Since spring 2022, its aircraft have delivered vast quantities of military and humanitarian cargo—everything from ammunition and protective gear to medical supplies—into Europe for onward delivery to Ukrainian forces.
By the autumn of 2022, the Canadian aircraft based at Prestwick had transported over 4 million pounds of Ukraine-bound cargo. By the end of 2023, that figure had surpassed 20 million pounds, marking a remarkable contribution to NATO’s logistics effort.
These deliveries form a core part of Canada’s broader commitment to Ukraine and demonstrate how Prestwick has become an essential lifeline between North America and the European theatre.
Beyond Ukraine
While supporting Ukraine remains a priority, ATF-P also underpins several other Canadian military operations worldwide. The detachment at Prestwick serves as a launchpad for:
- Operation REASSURANCE – Canada’s commitment to NATO’s enhanced forward presence in Eastern Europe, particularly in Latvia;
- Operation IMPACT – missions in the Middle East;
- Operation PRESENCE – deployments supporting UN peacekeeping in Africa;
- Open Skies Treaty observation flights.
Thanks to its ideal location and established facilities, Prestwick enables a “hub-and-spoke” model of operations. Crews and equipment are forward-positioned in Scotland, ready to support missions across multiple continents at short notice. Canadian aircraft and personnel now rotate through Prestwick on a continuous basis, keeping a year-round presence and a Canadian flag flying over the tarmac.
Why Prestwick?
Prestwick’s value lies in more than just history. Its geographic position on Scotland’s west coast makes it one of the first viable European airfields for transatlantic flights. RCAF aircraft can fly directly from bases in Ontario or Quebec to Prestwick with minimal stops, rest and refuel, and continue onward into continental Europe, the Middle East, or Africa.
Additional advantages include:
- 24/7 operations with infrastructure capable of handling large military aircraft;
- Secure facilities for storing and staging sensitive cargo;
- Proximity to RAF infrastructure and access to NATO support systems;
- Lower commercial air traffic, making it suitable for training and multinational exercises.
Although ATF-P is a Canadian-led initiative, Prestwick is no stranger to other militaries. The airport serves as a regular transit and refuelling stop for the Royal Air Force, United States Air Force, and even air arms from the Middle East, including Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Prestwick’s dual-use civilian and military capacity makes it a flexible and cost-effective solution for allied logistics. Its support to exercises and real-world missions has reaffirmed its standing within NATO as a dependable air link in both peacetime and crisis.
An Air Base by Any Other Name
Prestwick might not bear the fencing, signage, or security footprint of a formal military base—but make no mistake, it plays a critical role in Canada’s global defence posture. From a trio of Hercules aircraft and a crew of 60 to tens of millions of pounds of aid delivered to Ukraine, the airport has quietly become Canada’s air base in Scotland.
Canada’s presence at Prestwick will remain central to future operations. For now, a modest corner of Ayrshire continues to serve as a bridge between continents, sustaining not just aircraft, but alliances.
If we are looking at an expanded number of Air Force bases after SDR Prestwick might make a lot of sense. It’s not really viable as a commercial airport but maintaining the runway is essential for the aviation industry there. Might make an interesting hybrid civilian/ RAF base. Lots of other countries do this including Singapore so I don’t see what we can’t do it.
I can’t that working with fighters and training squadrons.
We do. Aldergrove springs to mind.
But why would we? Plenty of stations that are either still in RAF hands, but inactive, or in Army hands (eg Cottesmore) that could be reactivated with less hassle.
Prestwick is also a deactivated Royal Naval Air Station (HMS Gannet). Much of that infrastructure is still intact and only partially mothballed. It’s location on the ‘fog free’ Ayrshire coast, makesit an attractive proposition too.
Cool. Now you still have to deal with the sharing the runway with civilian operators, which you don’t have to do on a wholly MOD owned site.
Exactly. On MoD estate and some with HAS and other infrastructure required.
It was when the RNAS was there.
RCAF presence at Prestwick goes back decades. Europe-deployed Sabres and Starfighters were serviced by Scottish Aviation Ltd. I recall the latter howling over my primary school in the late 60s/early 70s.
4x F-15s from Mountain Home enroute to Lakenheath diverted in for a splash’n’dash this evening after problems with their KC-46 tanker.
Problems with a KC-46?? Well, I’ll be buggered!
During the Cold War, Prestwick was the home of Scottish Aviation (as I recall) who performed overhaul on the J-79 engines of RCAF ( later CAF) CF-104 Starfighters based in France (for a few years) and West Germany. Engines were flown to and from Prestwick from Lahr in C-130E with a stop in Gatwick.
BAE Systems & Spirit Aerosystems are the descendants onsite from SAL. & GE Caledonian (the descendant of Caledonian Airmotive) is a full service aero engine maintenance facility – engines get flown in from all over the world (quite a few from the Gulf) for overhaul.