Prestwick Airport: John Swinney seeking UK Government meeting over US military use of airport
Three US military planes stopped off at Prestwick Airport on their way to the Middle East.
Prestwick Airport has been branded a “staging post” for US military activity in the Middle East after American planes used the airport on their way to support strikes in Iran.
First Minister John Swinney is now seeking a meeting with the UK Government to find out whether any of the US places were part of offensive operations.
Flight logs show planes which were directly involved in supporting the US military action in the Middle East passed through the Scottish Government-owned airport in recent weeks.
Three Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers stopped off at Prestwick Airport last month on their way to Israel. They left Riverside Air Force Base in California on 17 and 18 February, and between 19 and 22 February they flew onto Saudi Arabia before deploying in Israel.
From there, they have flown dozens of missions since the US-Israeli war with Iran. On February 28, one of these planes was airborne over Israel and flew east towards Iran.
Since the beginning of March, all three planes appear to have been based at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Over a dozen Stratotankers have been photographed at the Israeli airport.
The three planes which transited through the Scottish airport have flown on at least 30 missions from Israel.
US allies in the Middle East such as Kuwait and the UAE have also landed military cargo planes at Prestwick. However, no American combat aircraft have stopped at Prestwick since the start of the Iranian airstrikes.
The Scottish Greens say the SNP government must now take action to block Donald Trump’s forces using the airport.
Patrick Harvie MSP, the party’s external affairs spokesman said: “In 2024 the Scottish Government made clear that Israeli military aircraft would not be serviced at Prestwick Airport.
“That makes it even more important that ministers are transparent about what role the airport may be playing when the US military aircraft passing through it are so closely linked to Israel.
“The Scottish Government must now come clean about what it knew about these flights, when it knew, and what discussions have taken place with the UK Government or US authorities.
“If ministers were willing to take action in relation to Israeli military aircraft, they must explain why the same scrutiny and standards are not being applied to US Air Force aircraft which are potentially supporting the same military operations as Israel.”
He added: “The presence of US military aircraft potentially refuelling Israeli aircraft to launch strikes across the Middle East makes it clear that Prestwick Airport is playing a role as a staging post for military activity linked to the conflict.
“The First Minister has said he was willing to consider banning the US from using the airport, based on the evidence. He now has more than enough to act.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Non-UK military flights using UK airspace need permission from the Ministry of Defence.
“The Scottish Government is not provided with information on the purpose of military flights using Scottish airports.
“Ministers have therefore sought clarity from the UK Government that no aircraft have passed through Scottish Government-owned airports as part of offensive operations against Iran.
“In addition, the First Minister is seeking a meeting with the Cabinet Office to discuss this matter.
“As the First Minister set out previously, once received, this information from the UK Government will inform decision-making on the use of Prestwick Airport.”
A MoD spokesperson said: "Prestwick is a civilian International airport owned by the Scottish Government and is not being used by the US to launch military strikes.
“The UK has authorised the United States to use British military bases for specific defensive missions to destroy Iran's missile capabilities which are threatening British people, bases, and our partners in the region.
“We won’t be providing a running commentary on our allies’ operations, including their use of our bases.”
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