Swinney seeks UK meeting over US military use of Prestwick Airport

First Minister John Swinney is seeking a meeting with the UK government over American military use of Prestwick Airport amid calls for the US Air Force to be banned from the site.

It comes as the BBC has documented some American military planes stopping over at the Scottish government-owned airport, on their way to support the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

A spokesperson said Swinney had asked for clarity that US planes were not part of offensive operations, and he also wanted a meeting with the cabinet office to discuss the matter.

He has previously suggested the military action in Iran is "incompatible with the international rules-based system".

Last week, at First Minister's Questions, Swinney was challenged to ban US planes from Prestwick by the Scottish Greens who accused him of "sitting on his hands".

Pressed further on the matter by the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Swinney said his government would "explore" and "consider" a ban if it was confirmed the planes were involved in the airstrikes.

Using publicly available flight logs, BBC Scotland has now found evidence that planes that have passed through Prestwick in recent weeks are directly involved in supporting the US military action in the Middle East.

In the military build-up ahead of strikes on Iran, the US redeployed scores of mid-air refuelling tankers to bases in Europe and the Middle East.

Three Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers stopped off at Prestwick Airport last month on the way to their final destination in Israel.

From there, they have flown dozens of missions since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli war with Iran.

It is not possible to know exactly which strikes the tankers have supported.

But defence analyst Jonathan Marcus, a former BBC correspondent who reported on the Iraq War from the region, says their role has been crucial to the operation.

"What they do is they give the strike aircraft, or indeed other aircraft that might be operating in the mission greater range, or indeed, greater endurance," Marcus said.

"Iran is a huge country. There may well be operations which aren't simply going out and hitting designated targets, but also loitering in particular areas, ready to be called in if mobile missiles are seen on the ground.

"That requires endurance, it requires being able to stay up over the target area for some period of time."

The three tankers in question left Riverside Air Force Base in California on 17 and 18 February, bound for Prestwick Airport.

Between 19 and 22 February, they flew on to Saudi Arabia, before deploying to Israel.

On 28 February, the start of Epic Fury, one of the planes was airborne over Israel, briefly broadcasting its position as it flew east, towards Iran.

Since the start of March, all three planes appear to have been based at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, where over a dozen Stratotankers have been photographed.

The three planes that transited through Scotland have flown at least 30 missions from Israel, turning off transponders that record their position as they head east towards Iran, and turning them back on hours later as they return to land.

In what is a highly coordinated joint operation, Marcus also believes the US Air Force is likely to be refuelling Israeli aircraft, as well as its own.

"The scale of the Israeli involvement is roughly equivalent in terms of strike aircraft to that of the Americans," Marcus said.

"But the Israeli Air Force is much weaker in terms of things like tankers. And so I'm sure American tankers are helping to sustain the Israeli aircraft as well, and that is an important force multiplier to keep up the pressure on Iran."

Prestwick Airport is also used as a stopping off point for US Air Force cargo planes flying between the United States and bases across Europe and the Middle East.

Since the start of the conflict in Iran, American allies in the Middle East like Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have also landed military cargo planes at Prestwick.

While it is not possible to know what any individual flight is carrying, Marcus told the BBC "routine, regular supply corridors are vital" for a major air campaign, to replenish materials including spare aircraft parts and munitions.

The Scottish government bought Prestwick Airport for £1 in 2013.

It operates as an arms-length company, and turned a profit of £3.5m in the 2024/25 financial year, with refuelling services providing its biggest source of revenue.

US government spending records show the Department of Defence spent £15.3m at Prestwick in 2025, and nearly £105m in total since 2018.

No American combat aircraft are known to have stopped at Prestwick since the start of the airstrikes, although following a change in UK government policy, US Air Force bombers are now flying missions directly from RAF bases in England, where a significant number of refuelling tankers are also based.

Patrick Harvie MSP, external affairs spokesman for the Scottish Greens, said the Scottish government said in 2024 that Israeli military aircraft would not be serviced at Prestwick Airport.

"That makes it even more important that ministers are transparent about what role the airport may be playing when the US military aircraft passing through it are so closely linked to Israel," he said.

"If ministers were willing to take action in relation to Israeli military aircraft, they must explain why the same scrutiny and standards are not being applied to US Air Force aircraft which are potentially supporting the same military operations as Israel."

Harvie added: "The first minister has said he was willing to consider banning the US from using the airport, based on the evidence. He now has more than enough to act."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "Non-UK military flights using UK airspace need permission from the Ministry of Defence.

"The Scottish government is not provided with information on the purpose of military flights using Scottish airports.

"Ministers have therefore sought clarity from the UK government that no aircraft have passed through Scottish government-owned airports as part of offensive operations against Iran.

"In addition, the first minister is seeking a meeting with the Cabinet Office to discuss this matter.

"As the first minister set out previously, once received, this information from the UK government will inform decision-making on the use of Prestwick Airport."

The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.