Prestwick Airport has defied those who appeared keen to point the finger and snigger and sneer, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell, as he reflects on the great successes of this strategic asset in recent times.

The workforce at Prestwick Airport now tops 500, which is most heartening.

A spokeswoman for the airport told me last week that employee numbers currently stand at 504, following the creation of 150 new jobs in recent times as the cargo operations have enjoyed most impressive growth.

And the airport’s management has highlighted the potential for further job creation.

We should also, of course, not forget that Prestwick Airport helps support thousands of other jobs in the aerospace cluster in and around it.

In the wake of the Scottish Government’s rescue of the airport in 2013, when it bought this strategic asset from previous owner Infratil of New Zealand for £1, there seemed to be no shortage of people willing failure.

Presumably so that if this happened they could point the finger and snigger or sneer, while completely ignoring or worse still not caring about the crucial employment provided by the airport and the huge contribution to the Ayrshire economy.

Of course, Prestwick Airport had its challenges both in the run-up to and in the wake of the........

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