US military use of Scotland's publicly owned Prestwick Airport spiked in the days before the latest strikes on Iran, The National can reveal.
Analysis of flight tracking data shows US military aircraft departed Glasgow Prestwick Airport at least eight times in the week leading up to yesterday’s renewed strikes on Iran, which threaten a fragile ceasefire.
Multiple heavy‑duty cargo and transport planes departed the Scottish Government-owned airport between May 18 and May 25 – including the C‑17 Globemaster and Lockheed C-130T Hercules – and flew to key hubs that have been used to support the US‑led war on Iran, such as Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily.
This contrasts with the week before, where there were no identifiable US military departures from Prestwick.
This pattern mirrors the build‑up ahead of February’s Operation Epic Fury, when the United States and Israel launched major strikes on Iran, killing its then supreme leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
An investigation by the Sunday National found that the US military used Prestwick at least 32 times in the 10 days before those strikes – including to key US and Nato military hubs in the Mediterranean and Middle East – which jumpstarted the war on Iran and has led to thousands of civilian deaths across the region.
At the time, a military intelligence expert told the Sunday National’s findings are “concrete proof” the airport has been used to help the US bomb Iran, albeit specifically as part of the broader supply chain underpinning operations.
This renewed spike in US activity at Prestwick is likely to intensify political pressure from anti-war campaigners and the Scottish Greens on John Swinney and the Scottish Government, which owns the airport.
Earlier this year, Swinney requested a meeting with UK ministers over the issue.
He later said the Scottish Government is not legally able to block US planes from using Prestwick Airport in its war against Iran because the necessary powers are reserved to Westminster.
Swinney said he had looked "very closely" at the issue, as people in Scotland have "enormous concern and unease" around the conflict – referencing the war's consequences for energy prices, the cost of living, mortgages, as well as the environmental impact.
But he continued: "If I was to prevent flights from entering Scotland by the appropriate steps that would be necessary, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD), meanwhile, has repeatedly said the airport was not being used to launch military strikes.
An 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.”
