UK2000 has recently teased their work on a rendition of Glasgow Prestwick Airport (EGPK) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the fifth busiest airport in Scotland with a yearly average of 445,211 passengers.

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It was officially opened in 1935, despite operating as an airfield for longer (since the early 1910s). Passenger facilities were added in 1938 and remained untouched until the government made them compatible with jet aircraft.

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The RAF used Prestwick to control trans-Atlantic flights during World War 2 as a gateway for US Army personnel and a training base for RAF pilots.

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Its commercial duties started right after the war, with a transatlantic flight between Prestwick and New York.

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The main runway was expanded in 1960 from the original 2,100 meters to 3,000 meters, which is still its current length.

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During the early 1990s, Prestwick was in shambles, desperately needing “rescue,” which came in the form of a takeover from a Canadian entrepreneur (Matthew Hudson), who constructed a railway station beside it, making it the first Scottish airport with its own railway station. To this day, Matthew’s rescue effort is unanimously recognized as heroic.

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Ryanair embraced Prestwick in 1994, with a route from Dublin and a second route a year later to London Stansted. A third one followed suit in 1998, taking passengers to Paris-Beauvais.

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1998 also marks the ownership transfer from Matthew Hudson to the Stagecoach Group, a transport group based in Perth, primarily focused on buses, trams, and train services. They sold it three years later for 33 million pounds.

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Infratil, a Kiwi company, was the new owner from 2001 onwards, responsible for revamping the main terminal in 2005 and redecorating most of it with very controversial touches.

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After over a decade of ownership, Infratil decided to call it a day and pass it on to a new owner, which was no less than the Scottish government. They paid an incredible sum of 1 pound for it.

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As of June 2019, the airport is up for sale.

It’s currently served by Ryanair, with flights to Alicante, Faro, Lanzarote, Málaga, and Tenerife-South.

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There is no information about features yet, but they have mentioned it’s releasing soon for roughly $18.41.
Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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