Police had to calm down air passengers stuck on the runway of Prestwick Airport by buying them water and chocolate.The 168 people on board the Ryanair flight bound for Girona, Spain, became agitated after a six-hour wait.

Some of the passengers said they were told they could not have food or water and others wanted to get off.Ryanair called Strathclyde Police officers who calmed the situation. They made no arrests.

The flight took off for Spain at 1949 BST.

A spokesman for Ryanair said the aircraft had been due to fly to Girona at 1400 BST, but was delayed because of the French air traffic controllers' strike.

This news story was brought to you by prestwickairportparking.org.uk

Ryanair  is to build a new hangar at Prestwick airport.The £8 million hangar will be the airline’s second maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the airport in Ayrshire.

The Scottish Government is contributing £1.5 million for Ryanair’s new hangar at Prestwick.

First Minister Alex Salmond joined Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary at Prestwick Airport for the announcement.Mr Salmond said: “I am delighted that Ryanair is strengthening its operations in Scotland and this announcement shows that Ayrshire has the quality infrastructure and skilled workforce to secure this major project, having fought-off competition from a number of European locations.

“Ryanair makes a substantial contribution to Scotland’s economy through its engineering facilities and encouraging tourism and business traffic via its Glasgow Prestwick, Aberdeen and Edinburgh flights.“The announcement of investment at Prestwick and new routes from Edinburgh supports this Government’s ambition to increase sustainable economic growth by attracting inward investment and creating quality new jobs.”

The first maintenance unit at Prestwick opened in 2004 and the two hangars will sustain more than 400 engineering and support staff.

Prestwick faced “intense competition” from five other European airports to win the new hangar, Ryanair said.

“Ryanair’s new second maintenance hangar at Glasgow Prestwick Airport will create 200 new engineering jobs, in addition to the 2,200 local jobs which have already been created and sustained in Ayrshire as a direct result of Ryanair’s base and our existing hangar facility at Glasgow Prestwick,” Mr O’Leary said.“Ryanair’s successful growth in Scotland is possible thanks to our ongoing partnership with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, who have repeatedly supported our vision for many more low-fare flights to and from Scotland.”The Scottish Government is supporting the project through Scottish Enterprise, which said it the work is a “fantastic result for the Scottish economy, for Ayrshire and for the aerospace industry”.

Ryanair said the hangar is due to open in October 2010.

John Scott, Tory MSP for Ayr, said: “This is brilliant news for Prestwick and, aside from the very significant and welcome number of new jobs that it will bring to the area, it also cements the Prestwick aerospace cluster’s reputation as a leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

“This is a huge boost to the airport, and a major commitment on the part of Ryanair.

“I hope this points to an ever-closer and mutually beneficial partnership between Prestwick and this highly successful passenger airline.”

SCOTS travellers will shortly have direct flights to the medieval city of Carcassonne in south west France.

The flights from Prestwick Airport, provided by budget airline Ryanair, will begin at the end of March next year and operate twice weekly to the historic French city, famous for its spectacular walled old town.

An estimated 30,000 passengers are expected use the service when it begins in spring.

Bosses of the Irish airline also promised to increase the frequency of existing Scottish routes to Dublin, Barcelona Girona, Alicante, Palma and Tenerife.

Carcassonne is based in the wine growing Languedoc region of south west France and was used as a film backdrop for the hit film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. Thanks to its fairytale castle and restored city walls the town was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1997.

Maria Macken, a spokeswoman for the airline said: "Visitors can discover its history, its local cuisine, its wines, or simply the scenery.

"Our twice weekly flights from Prestwick to Carcassonne and additional frequencies on six routes to and from Prestwick make choosing a holiday destination even more exciting."

Flight prices from Prestwick Airport to Carcasonne will begin from £33.

""The owners of Prestwick airport have said they were upbeat about their future prospects despite recording a huge fall in passenger numbers.

A total of 152,000 passengers flew from the airport in October, representing a 28% fall on the same month last year.

Infratil, owners of the Ayrshire airport, claimed the drop was in line with recent trends.

Chief Commercial Officer Graeme Sweenie said extra Ryanair sun flights would hasten the airport's recovery.

He said: "2009 has certainly been a challenging year for the airport but our underlying position and future prospects are excellent."

Last July budget airline Ryanair announced five new routes from Prestwick but also said it would cancel or reduce frequency on six of its existing routes.

The changes are expected to increase the number of people using the airport but reduce the number of inbound visitors to Scotland.

Mr Sweenie said the extra Ryanair flights this winter and next summer would hasten Prestwick's recovery, increasing passenger numbers and returning the airport to growth by mid 2010.

"Glasgow Prestwick is now Scotland's premier gateway to European hotspots," he added.

Infratil is a New Zealand investment company which also owns Wellington International Airport and Kent International Airport.""

Story from the BBC.

Here at Prestwick Airport Parking, we very much hope the condidence is well placed.

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HOLIDAYMAKERS arrived home to find their cars flooded at Prestwick Airport.

And a massive power failure resulted in delayed flights during a weekend of chaos.

Heavy rainfall and a Scottish Power pump failure left around 10 cars submerged in water in car park 3.

Airport staff and Scottish Power worked together to resolve the problem and assist customers who were affected.

A power failure early on Sunday morning resulted in five flights being delayed. But by 8am the airport was mostly up and running.

Normal service was resumed by Sunday afternoon.

 

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Prestwick Airport Chief Executive going home                         September 3 2009

 

Mark Rodwell, who has been at the airport for four years, will return to his native Australia at the end of November.

Staff at the airport were issued with a memo confirming Mr Rodwell’s transfer on Tuesday afternoon.It is understood Mr Rodwell will remain with Prestwick Airport’s parent company Infratil when he returns to his home country. He has stated family reasons as motivation for leaving Prestwick Airport.

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Prestwick Airport sees fall in passengers                                 August 27 2009

Previous fears that the number of passengers using Prestwick airport have been shown to be correct.

The Ayrshire Post reports:

""The number of passengers using Prestwick Airport fell by 66,000 in a year.

New figures show the massive fall in July compared with the same time in 2008.

The news was revealed by Central Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe.

He said: “Any recovery is clearly going to be slow, since most people booking their flights from Prestwick will have done so much earlier in the year, creating a hangover effect.

“I am more concerned with looking below the headline figures and here I see the same as last month, with what the airlines call load factors still holding up across the majority of routes served by the airport.”

In all 191,940 passengers passed through the airport in July, 28,000 up on the previous month’s figure but 66,000 below July last year.

Mr Donohoe explained that he has met with management and was told that they remain “bullish” about the prospect of future growth.

He added: “The decrease in overall passenger numbers has been largely driven by capacity reductions by Ryanair, notably on its domestic and Irish routes.

“However, since Ryanair have announced six new so-called sunshine routes for next summer, I am optimistic that there is plenty of light at the end of the tunnel.”

Mr Donohoe also noted that freight volumes at the airport are down 30 per cent since Polar Air Cargo pulled out last year.

He went on: “I think the freight business is going to take longer than the passenger numbers to build up again.

“However, I have complete confidence in the airport’s ability to grow success in all areas as we start to emerge from the worst of the recession.”

 

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Prestwick Airport could see a drastic fall in passengers.                        August 6 2009

 

 The Ayrshire Post carries a story expressing alarm at the reduction in services from Prestwick Airport. It say that "MSP John Scott warns that 100,000 fewer will come through the arrival gates next year.

It follows the announcement that Ryanair are axing a number of flights. However, the Irish airline have committed to Prestwick Airport at the same time by unveiling five new routes.

But Mr Scott remains cautious.

He said: “While the cancellation or reductions announced on some routes over the winter period is regrettable, that is balanced by the news that five new routes are to be added by Ryanair to the range of destinations already accessible from Prestwick Airport.

“Clearly this is better news than had been predicted but my concern is that, while it is forecast that the total number of people using the airport will rise, the actual number of inbound passengers may fall by around 100,000 over the next year.

“Hopefully it will prove possible to reinstate some of the services that support inbound passengers, and I remain confident that in the long term Prestwick Airport will strengthen its position and continue to be a major and highly valued economic and social asset for our area.”Brian Donohoe, MP for Central Ayrshire, is satisfied the announcement can steady Prestwick’s ship.He said: “I am particularly pleased at this announcement, since it demonstrates the continued commitment that Ryanair has to Prestwick, which the company assured me was the case only last month.“Obviously the loss of their other routes was of concern to me, but these new routes should bring in more passengers, and at the end of the day that’s the most important factor for the airport.”

And airport chiefs insist Prestwick can rely on Ryanair’s backing as it heads into 2010.

Graeme Sweenie, of Infratil Airports, added: “Launching five new routes is fantastic news for the airport and passengers alike.

“Destinations in Spain and the Canaries are always enormously popular in winter and summer.

“With Ryanair’s proven track record of low fares and excellent on-time performance, we would expect these new routes to be amongst the most popular from the airport.

“The announcement further cements the strong relationship between Prestwick and Ryanair that commenced in 1994.” "

 

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This might Amuse you.                                    August 1 2009

Everyone, it seems, has a little bit of Elvis Presley in their town. It could be the ageing impersonator who works the local pubs, the rumours circulating about the bloke who sells battered haddock in the local chippy or, in the case of Dundee, the scrawny bloke that lives in the Graceland caravan park and bears a passing resemblance to an irascible version of the King himself. Rumoured to be a product of an assignation between Presley and a baggage handler by the name of Big Agnes as he passed through Prestwick Airport in 1960, Elvis ‘Jnr’ McGonagall has picked up on his pop’s love of lyrics.

‘It all stems from a deep well of bitter twisted bile, I think,’ he growls, explaining the source of his stand-up poetry while sucking on the dead end of a roll-up. ‘It’s a conduit for having a wee rant at things.’

Now though, he is leaving the static caravan for a show at the Fringe. ‘What have I got planned? Shouting at strangers in a dark room while wearing an increasingly tight tartan jacket. That’s the gist of the show. In verse obviously.’

So like father, like son. Aside from the tartan.

Source: Edinburgh Festival 2009

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Drunk Passenger detained at Prestwick Airport                           July 31 2009

A woman who had been drinking whisky to conquer her fear of flying caused a disturbance in an airport queue and assaulted a policeman.

Staff at Prestwick Airport saw that 47-year-old Sine Macneill was unsteady on her feat as she was about to board a flight for Spain.

She became abusive when she was approached by airport staff.

At Ayr Sheriff Court last week Macneill, of Lochgilphead, admitted shouting, swearing and committing a breach of the peace at Prestwick on June 26.

She also admitted kicking a police constable on the body.

A police source said: "She was very much under the influence of drink and said that she was scared of flying and had been drinking whisky to calm her nerves."

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Prestwick Airport to gain from Ryanair flight cut-backs?                   July 27 2009

Prestwick Airport may gain indirectly from the decision of Ryanair to reduce flights this winter.

Ryanair has a major engineering base at Prestwick Airport, and may get additional maintenance and overhaul work on the Ryanair fleet, as reported by Alistair Dalton ofbusiness.scotsman.com

"FIRST impressions might have suggested the bubble had finally burst on Ryanair when Europe's biggest airline last week announced a 40 per cent capacity cut at its main airport.

However, the Stansted announcement is seen by experts as just the latest barrage in Ryanair's relentless offensive to cut costs and keep growing.

The airline, which publishes its first-quarter figures tomorrow, will operate 24 aircraft from the London airport between October and March compared to 40 this summer. Last winter, the reduction was only half as large, from 36 to 28 aircraft.

However, many of the 16 aircraft being moved from Stansted for the winter are likely to be switched to other routes in Europe. Maintenance on others may be brought forward, which could benefit Prestwick, one of Ryanair's largest engineering bases.

The decision has also enabled Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's outspoken chief executive, to once again seek to pin the blame on others. O'Leary's favourite targets – the government and airport operator BAA – were again lambasted for failing to cut taxes and charges.

He singled out air passenger duty, which increases by £1 to £11 in November for European flights, and BAA's high landing charges. O'Leary said Stansted was Ryanair's most expensive base, along with Dublin, where it has also cut capacity. He said: "Ryanair's 40 per cent capacity cutback at London Stansted shows just how much Gordon Brown's £10 tourist tax and the BAA monopoly's high airport charges are damaging London and UK tourism and the British economy generally."

Commentators have been divided about Ryanair's latest use of such familiar tactics. Some argue that BAA needs to take more heed of its largest customer at Stansted, while others said the recession was the main factor likely to cut air travel demand travel this winter.

Gert Zonneveld, an analyst at Panmure Gordon, says: "Ryanair is clearly cutting back capacity at its most expensive airports. It sends a message to the airport owner, and Ryanair is by far its largest customer."

Zonneveld expects the most frequently served routes to be pruned and the least-popular midweek flights axed. "It is logical to stop if you are not making any money by continuing to fly emptier planes," he says.

However, Andrew Foster, a senior lecturer in air transport management at Cranfield University, believes the economic squeeze was the key factor. "The lack of disposable income or fear of unemployment are probably more the reasons for people not flying than the impending rise in air passenger duty."

Ryanair recorded its first full-year loss in 2008-09, slipping £145.9m into the red. However, much of this was due to a write-down in the value of its stake in rival Irish carrier Aer Lingus, and a hike in fuel costs. The airline said it was now 90 per cent hedged for fuel over three quarters of this year, taking advantage of lower oil prices.

In addition, unlike most of its competitors, Ryanair is also continuing to increase passengers and fly fuller planes. It carried 13 per cent more passengers last month than a year ago, boosting the annual total to 60.2m, and expects to reach 67m this year. Load factor – the proportion of seats filled – was also 1 per cent up at 85 per cent.

O'Leary, who last year issued a "bring it on" welcome to the impending recession to help eliminate rivals, is seeking to make Ryanair ever leaner so it is best placed to benefit from the eventual upturn in aviation. The airline will abolish check-in desks in October and is all out to cut costs, enabling it to offer what it claims are the cheapest available fares.

O'Leary said last month: "The recession and declining consumer confidence is proving to be good for Ryanair's growth, as millions of passengers switch to our lower fares."

Keeping this cheapest-fares claim forefront in the minds of passengers – and potential future passengers – has underpinned all the seemingly off-the-wall proposals from the chief executive this year. The airline insisted this week that only a proposed "fat tax" on overweight passengers had been dropped – because it was rejected in a passenger poll.

The others, including passengers carrying their own bags to the plane, and standing passengers in aircraft – backed this week by two-thirds of those responding to a Ryanair survey – are said to be still on the cards.

The airline also dismissed reports it had shelved plans to charge passengers £1 for using aircraft toilets. However, it has now claimed the move is to enable it to remove three of the four toilets on some planes to free space for more seats. The "toilet tax" revenue could go to charity.

Another significant factor in this "lean and mean" drive is the ongoing growth of the Ryanair fleet following a major order for 737-800s with US plane maker Boeing.

The airline needs the lowest possible operating costs to keep the aircraft operating profitably, and its 199 aircraft in service is due to swell to 312 within three years.

Andy Foster says: "It is not clear nor is it possible to predict at what point the recovery in the economy will occur, nor when this will lead to a recovery in air travel demand. But the lessons from previous recessions are that air travel demand does recover and overall the forecast is for long-term growth, which means that the new aircraft ordered by Ryanair will be needed in the next few years.""

You will never keep Ryanair out of the news. Those passengers who insist on using the airline can still book their Prestwick Airport Parking with us. We won't cut back on our service.

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Prestwick Airport to see more flights axed

Jul 24 2009 by Edwin Lawrence

"MORE Ryanair flights will be axed from Prestwick by the end of October.

The budget airline has already chopped services to Bournemouth and Krakow.

Now it looks like an end for flights to Frankfurt, Budapest, Milan, Rome, Stockholm and Marseilles.

Routes from Prestwick will go down a third from 24 to 16, according to sources within the airline industry.And seating capacity will be down 30 per cent by the end of the year.

Some of the routes getting the chop are fairly new additions.But there have been flights to Frankfurt Hahn since 2000.And in 2002 the route attracted 100,000 passengers.Airport chief executive Mark Rodwell insists it’s not all doom and gloom at Prestwick.

And he says new flights could yet be added to the winter schedule.Mr Rodwell admits a current 20 per cent reduction in scheduled traffic.But he says discussions are ongoing with Ryanair.

Prestwick has enjoyed a decade of growth in passenger traffic, thanks to Ryanair.But the airline’s new deal with Edinburgh Airport is having an impact on Prestwick.

The recession has added to Prestwick’s difficulties, and 73 jobs were lost earlier this year.But Mr Rodwell says the restructuring will ensure the airport weathers the slump.And he doesn’t expect any more redundancies.

Another blow for Prestwick has been a 50 per cent drop in freight traffic.

This is largely due to the departure of Atlas Polar a year ago.

Brian Donohoe MP has been given assurances by both Prestwick Airport and Ryanair.

And he said: “I have no doubt that in the next 18 months, business will increase at Prestwick, and Ryanair is committed to keeping five planes based at the airport.

The airline has pointed out that the winter schedule has not been finalised. And talk of axing routes was speculation. " "

Thanks to the Ayrshire Post for the story.

Golf fans tuned into Turnberry's Radio Open Golf station were left bamboozled yesterday when their coverage of play was rudely interrupted.

Instead of hearing how stars like Tom Watson and Lee westwood were doing they were treated air traffic control instructions from nearby Prestwick airport.

One frustrated fans said: "We paid £8 for special Open radios, but for a spell all all we heard were flight details from Prestwick."

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