A leading aviation expert has branded transforming Prestwick into a spaceport as complete pie in the sky.
Our airport is claimed to be the front runner to become the UK’s first base for firing satellites and tourists into orbit.
But Laurie Price MBE suspects the space lure is now just a convenience – to allow the Scottish Government to continue ploughing millions of pounds of public money into it.
He said firmly: “It will never happen and is just a fanciful notion.”
Price, 65, was a UK Government adviser on aviation and insists any dreams of getting spacecraft up in the air from Prestwick are just that.
He said: “Someone has not thought this through. I think this is all about political headlines rather than economic reality.”
The Scottish Government saved the ailing airport three years ago for £1 – but has cost taxpayers £750,000 every month since.
The UK Government backed UK Space Agency tasked the Civil Aviation Authority to make a shortlist for Europe’s first operational spaceport, home to a new generation of horizontally-launched spaceplanes.
We can reveal that three years ago Price and the then MP for Central Ayrshire Brian Donohoe – who sat on the Transport Select Committee for 12 years – made a private 30-minute presentation to Nicola Sturgeon while Alex Salmond was First Minister.
The proposal included a service from Prestwick to RAF Northholt, just nine miles from Heathrow, as well as other money making ideas.
In addition Sturgeon – who ironically used to live in Prestwick – was told the future could be as a safe diversion base for all UK planes.
Price said: “I believe our presentation was ignored. But when all these increments of revenue are put together, Prestwick could become viable.”
His credentials as an air transport economist include being appointed adviser to the House of Commons All Party Aviation Group while he was chief aviation strategist for global consultants Mott MacDonald.
Previously he was aviation adviser to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee from 1997 to 2005.
He still holds a light aircraft pilot’s licence and spent 20 years with British Caledonian Airways and BA, including responsibility for Government affairs and route planning for North America.
A spaceport at Prestwick – where crafts would take off under the belly of a transporter and be jettisoned to head into space at 40,000 feet – will not happen for a number of reasons, insists Price.
He said: “If you look at the density of aircraft moving across the UK at any one time, how on earth would you create room for space activity?
“That alone would stop this at Prestwick or any of the other four airports that are being considered.
“Nicola needs to look above her head, sea all the contrails and get a reality check.
“Imagine the airport telling Ryanair they would have to stop flights because there was a spaceport operation going on. That would not happen.
“Then you look at the weather ... these spacecraft will come back to earth on a glider. They cannot throttle up and make another approach over Prestwick if needed.
“Equally given Brexit and we could be out of European space programmes, where is the demand and who is going to fund it?”
Aside from that he points out facilities nearer the Equator – to gain from the inertia of the Earth’s rotation – would provide the best position to get into space.
Significantly, Sturgeon was told Prestwick could gain revenue by shifting the night Royal Mail mail hub from Edinburgh.
The Royal Mail use a second cross-wind at privately-owned Edinburgh to park its night mail and parcel fleet and the move would free up Edinburgh for more development.
He suspects that second runway could be sold off to create a business park and housing and if so Prestwick could take over the night mail services.
Price said: “There is a deal to be struck here. The owners of Edinburgh could be given the go-ahead to develop their second runway in return for the mail service relocating to Prestwick. The owners of Edinburgh could be asked to run Prestwick as part of the arrangement.”
Since their meeting another development could add to Prestwick’s position.
The MOD has ordered nine P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft which are converted Boeing 737’s, an aircraft already maintained at Prestwick.
Brian Donohoe said: “My advisers over the years have given a programme of potential for the airport.
“It has never been looked at seriously and these prospects are the only serious player in town.
“Anything else on the agenda is, in practical terms, exceptionally difficult to achieve.”
But Prestwick reckons it’s bang on course to become the UK’s first spaceport.
And this week it says Brexit will help secure a base, rather than turn the idea into a non-starter.
And they say that working to secure a licence will attract businesses from the space sector to establish themselves here, including Orbital Access which has already set up.
A spokesman said: “The process to deliver a UK Spaceport is being driven at a Westminster level. The UK Government announced in early 2014 that it was looking to establish a spaceport by 2020.
“This process was initially a bid and industry experts assessed suitability and pulled together a shortlist – with Prestwick one of
six sites to make the list.
“The airport commissioned a technical feasibility study to better understand its suitability and the requirements to become an operational spaceport. This study was carried out by a US company with vast experience in establishing and supporting US spaceports.
"The study found that we had favourable weather conditions, an ideal location for polar satellite launches and much of the infrastructure required for a spaceport already in place.
“In the past year, the UK Government has changed the spaceport selection process from a bid to a licensing regime, enabling the commercial market to drive this process forward.
“Prestwick Airport is working closely with the UK Space Agency, CAA and DfT to progress towards securing a licence. These agencies – along with a number of key players in the space industry including Houston Spaceport, satellite companies and academics – firmly believe we are a prime contender to become the first spaceport in the UK and Europe.
“The UK is well placed to capitalise on the fast growing space industry and through the creation of a spaceport is in a position to offer competitive access to space for satellite companies from across the world looking for polar launches.
“We believe that Brexit will accelerate the delivery of a UK spaceport as now is the time to secure our position in the global market to help to underpin and grow our economy.”
