Two Scottish airports have hit the headlines in perhaps unexpected ways in the last week.

Business Editor Ian McConnell takes a look at these developments - one of them involving Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter.

Two Scottish airports have been in the headlines in the last week, both perhaps in unexpected ways.

Ayrshire entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter, who as he noted himself is not known for supporting government involvement in running businesses, took to social media platform X to lavish praise on what has been achieved by the Scottish Government at Prestwick Airport.

Specifically, he highlighted the importance of this success in preserving so many highly skilled jobs not only at the airport itself but also at the huge aerospace cluster in and around it, which is home to an impressive array of companies.

Sir Tom posted on X last Tuesday: “I usually say that the government shouldn't be involved in running businesses. But I take my hat off to the Scottish Government when it comes to Prestwick Airport. Last week when I landed there I was thrilled to hear about all of the job opportunities across engineering, security and warehousing.”

He highlighted his view that “those engineering jobs would have been lost” at Prestwick had the Scottish Government not rescued the airport.

The aerospace cluster in and around Prestwick Airport employs thousands of people.

In a video accompanying his post on X, Sir Tom declared: “I always say that the government shouldn’t be involved in running businesses but I take my hat off to the Scottish Government here because if you hadn’t saved Prestwick, the great jobs that are all round there: Spirit…you have got jet engines being refurbished, you have got Ryanair doing their maintenance, those engineering jobs would have been lost. So I think Prestwick is a good success story and a rare example of the government stepping in.”

There is no doubting the major achievements of Prestwick Airport in recent times.

The airport in 2025 achieved great success in winning e-commerce flights from China, an opportunity its management had the vision to recognise and then the ability to grasp as it geared up its already impressive operational capabilities with major investment.

Prestwick Airport in December revealed it had made a sixth consecutive annual profit. Its operating profit was £3.5 million in the year to March 31, 2025, up by around £300,000 on the prior 12 months.

And that was not all.

Chief executive Ian Forgie said: “For the current financial year [to March 2026], the business has exceeded last year’s performance, already achieving its annual operating target in the first six months to September 2025, and is continuing to build on its success this year.”

There was big news at Edinburgh Airport last week, and this came somewhat out of the blue.

Gordon Dewar announced that he would step down as chief executive of Edinburgh Airport after 14 years.

The airport said it is expected Mr Dewar will leave his role towards the end of 2026 following the search for his successor.

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Edinburgh Airport noted that Mr Dewar’s second tenure as chief executive “saw passenger numbers grow dramatically by 85% from nine million in 2012 to almost 17 million in 2025”.

It added: “He steered the airport through the Covid pandemic, where passenger numbers fell to almost zero, and its subsequent recovery.”

Mr Dewar said: “It has been the highlight of my career to develop this fabulous business as part of an amazing, talented and committed team. I am immensely proud of our growth record not least because [of] what it means for my home city and for Scotland as a whole.

“Together we delivered better connectivity and market-leading results through a business that knows its place at the heart of our community. Importantly, all of this has been driven by values that we jointly hold and are rightly passionate about.”

He added: “In my remaining months I look forward to helping find my successor and to continue driving the momentum of this business that has the brightest of futures and limitless opportunities. I will also be able to use that time to show my appreciation and thanks to all who have shaped this amazing journey and will continue to do so.”

Mr Dewar, in an exclusive interview with The Herald last May, highlighted the economic contribution of Edinburgh Airport.

He estimated its annual contribution to the economy would by that stage have risen to at least £1.6 billion, as he anticipated further growth and another record year for passenger numbers.

Mr Dewar also highlighted the importance of the jobs provided by the airport and other employers on the “campus”. He observed these job numbers totalled nearly 8,000, including around 1,000 people employed directly by the airport.

He flagged his confidence at that stage that Edinburgh Airport would handle more than 16 million passengers in 2025, setting another all-time high to exceed the record of 15.78 million it achieved in 2024.

This turned out to be - as it seemed at the time given the airport’s momentum - something of a conservate estimate.

Edinburgh Airport was able to announce, in late January, that 16,980,588 passengers travelled through it during 2025.

And it was in upbeat form about the future.

Edinburgh Airport said then: “The airport has already announced new routes and airlines for 2026, such as American Airlines adding New York to its destinations, as well as extending its Philadelphia service into the winter season, and Luxair entering the Scottish market with its seasonal route to Luxembourg.

“This year is also set to be an exciting one for the airport as it heads towards a significant expansion project.”

Glasgow Airport has also had a flurry of new flight wins in recent months.

It will be interesting to watch the progress of all of Scotland’s airports this year. There is certainly plenty going on.

© Herald Scotland