Preferred bidder chosen for Prestwick Airport
The Scottish Government has been seeking to sell the terminal after taking it into public hands for £1 in 2013.
A buyer has been selected to take over Glasgow Prestwick Airport, it has been announced.
The Scottish Government has been seeking to sell the terminal after taking it into public hands for £1 in 2013.
On Thursday, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson confirmed he had accepted a recommendation to appoint a preferred bidder for the site.
The airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm's length from the Scottish Government.
Mr Matheson said the identity of the bidder cannot be disclosed as yet.
We made clear in 2013 that the Scottish Government intended to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector when the time was right,'' he said.
We were pleased that the opportunity to buy the business, set out in the Official Journal of the European Union, attracted considerable interest.
Following careful consideration of the bids received, I have accepted a recommendation made by TS Prestwick HoldCo to appoint a preferred bidder.
To protect the integrity of the process I am not able to disclose the identity of the bidder at this time but we remain satisfied that good progress is being made in the interests of the business.''
The Transport Secretary added: I will update Parliament further in due course.''
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Jamie Greene said taxpayers' money given to the airport should be recovered as part of any deal.
If there is positive news about a potential buyer for Prestwick Airport then that process should be allowed to take course and progress,'' he said.
But the Scottish Conservatives have been clear since the airport was nationalised, a significant amount of taxpayers' money has been loaned, not gifted, to this business and we fully expect that any deal which comes to fruition will seek to recover that cash.
The SNP has a notable track record of writing off loans and bungled contracts and sales of publicly owned assets - for everyone's sake let's all hope this isn't another example.''
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