More than two million passengers use Glasgow Prestwick airport every year and it is Scotland’s largest commercial airfield.
Originally owned by Scottish Aviation and the Duke of Hamilton, Prestwick airport has come a long way since its inception in the 1930s when it was just a small plane hangar. After the war the airport was used by the United States Air Force, while today it is part of the Royal navy base. Situated around two kilometres to the north east of the town of Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland, today Prestwick airport is Glasgow city’s second airport.
Prestwick airport is the fourth busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic behind Edinburgh airport, Glasgow International airport and Aberdeen airport but the airlines has expanded greatly due to a boom in traffic provided by low cost airlines offering cheap flights across Europe.
The airlines to fly from Glasgow Prestwick are Onur Air, Ryanair, Wizzair, Freebird Airlines, Aer Arann and BH air. The low cost airline Ryanair has flights from Glasgow Prestwick to many international destinations including Belfast, Faro, Milan, Tenerife and London Stansted. Prestwick airport used to be a popular destination to see the air shows which took place there between 1967 and 1992 but the events no longer take place.
Prestwick airport has an unusual claim to fame as being the only piece of soil in the United Kingdom upon which the iconic rock star Elvis Presley ever set foot. His transport plane stopped there to refuel while he was en route to Germany to do a concert. Glasgow Prestwick airport prides itself on offering a hassle free flight experience with quick check in times. This extends to picking up your Rhino rental car as our representatives can meet you on arrival and show you to your vehicle. If you are driving there from Glasgow city it will only take you half an hour.