Chamber and committees

I certainly do not have a major concern. I have real hope, given that the airport is in South Scotland, which is my region. How far down the line will we go before you start to consider the point that was made earlier about whether the public ownership model is the best way forward?

There is another implication of this limbo position. Audit Scotland has said that millions of pounds more are needed to sustain the current model at Prestwick, but the Government has not put investment in it since 2019. Clearly, to secure the long-term future of the airport, it needs investment. Where will that investment come from if not from the Government?

Just for the record, can you tell us how many bids you have received in total that have then been passed to the Scottish Government with a recommendation for sale, from the board?

So, is the investment that is required conditional on the sale of the airport?

I have a final question. You obviously find yourselves somewhat in limbo. Earlier, it was mentioned that the loans have not been paid back, and the Government, or the auditors, have revalued them at just £11 million. You are not making any payments towards the loans. You have talked about investment so far. I presume that you are not in a position to make the level of investment in the airport that is needed unless you either get money from the Government or you have a new owner who will make that investment.

There must be a lot of outstanding investment. Audit Scotland, for example, said recently that millions more will be needed to sustain the airport in its current model. This limbo position cannot go on. Either we take a decision that says that the airport is publicly owned with the support of the Government, or we need a sale.

We find ourselves in limbo at the moment. On the one hand, you want to return the airport to the private sector; on the other hand, the private sector does not seem to want it. What are the implications of that limbo?

I am sure that you accept that the company is, in effect, in limbo, as the Government is not the long-term owner. The Government wants to sell the airport—it is up for sale at the moment. The current management team is not in a position to make long-term investments that could significantly change a lot in the airport. You are looking to sell the airport to a new owner, and the current management team is running on the basis that the airport is up for sale. Long-term decisions about significant investment will not be made by such a company.

Good morning, gentlemen. I will follow up on the issue of the wind farm developments. I appreciate that you disagree with the reporter’s comments on the case of the wind farm near Sanquhar. I presume that that has an impact on your future business. You must be building into your future assumptions about income streams from developments the fact that wind farm companies will follow what the reporter said in his comments and that those future agreements will be worth less than the ones that you have secured so far. Has that been built into your future planning? What impact is that likely to have on your income?

You continue to defer that interest. Given that the company is making a profit, when do you anticipate getting that?

Good morning. As you point out in your written evidence, the committee and others have recognised, as you have done, the absence of a clear definition of a just transition. Given your work on seeking to define and measure a just transition, do you think that there is enough clarity and certainty when it comes to what UK and Scottish Government policies are seeking to achieve in relation to the transition to net zero? If not, where are the gaps? I note the work that you have done and the comments on how we measure a just transition.