Glasgow Prestwick Airport bought by Scottish Government for £1 Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been brought into public ownership by the Scottish Government. Prestwick Aviation Holdings Limited was bought from previous owner Infratil for just £1 but the airport has being running at a loss of £7m a year. The price also reflects "the ongoing investment requirements at the airport." The Government now plans to find a commercial partner to run the airport on its behalf, in conjunction with existing staff. It is understood the deal to acquire the site was completed late on Friday night. Confirmation of completion of the deal comes about six weeks after the Scottish Government's plans to acquire the South Ayrshire base, to secure its future, were announced at Holyrood by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Ms Sturgeon said: "With this deal concluded, we can now focus on the future of Glasgow Prestwick Airport and making it the success we know it can be. This acquisition secures continuity of service and we will now begin work, with our local partners, on developing our vision for the business so we can maximise its contribution to the local, regional and national economy. As we stressed at the start of this process, Glasgow Prestwick Airport remains fully open for business and existing staff remain employed at the airport. Senior advisory staff will be appointed on an interim basis to make recommendations on strategic business development, building on the commercial opportunities identified during the acquisition process, and on longer term management arrangements. I will make a statement to Parliament in due course to set out our plans in more detail. Infratil chief executive Marko Bogoievski said: "Recognising the importance of the airport to the local communities and regional and national economy, Infratil's preference has always been to secure a new owner with the capacity to support the future success of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. We believe that a Scottish Government acquisition achieves that objective and Infratil Limited is very pleased to have successfully completed the transaction.