There may well be good security reasons for Prestwick being chosen for such a purpose, despite all the inconvenience for regular passengers. But is this Government policy on the part of the Department of Transport? We don't know and I don't suppose we'll find out...
Update:
The Independent has the answer (confirming the comment):
"Four years ago Prestwick was designated as the airport in the north of the country to deal with suspected hijackings and other terrorist threats in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001. The only other British airport geared up to deal with hijacked airliners is Stansted. It is understood the pair were chosen because they deal with less air traffic and are positioned away from major built-up areas. "Now why did the Scottish press not tell us?
2 comments:
Prestwick (along with Stansted) is a nominated diversion airport for this type of incident. It is relatively isolated, has plenty of space for parking airliners, and is quite quiet. The diversion occurred in UK airspace, and presumably Prestwick was a better bet than Stansted.
No conspiracy, sorry.
Let the hijackers blow up some Jocks! - An anonymous British Government source ;-).
The Scottish newspapers would have told you but then they'd have had to kill every reader - not too good for circulation figures!
Regards
John
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