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Jim Mason · Guest

GLASGOW PRESTWICK OWNER INFRATIL WELCOMES G8 SUMMIT VISITORS TO SCOTLAND

GPIA Press Release

INFRATIL Ltd, the owner of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, is delighted to
welcome our G8 guests to Scotland, the best small country in the world.

Two Scottish sayings sum up our delight in being your gateway to the
Gleneagles summit. One is "Ceud mille Failte". In Gaelic, the ancient
language of the Scottish western Highlands and Islands, "Ceud mille
Failte" means "a hundred thousand welcomes".

The second, more modern expression, is "Pure dead Brilliant", a positive
and cheerful Glaswegian catchphrase at the heart of the airport's new
branding. During your short stay, we want you to enjoy the people, the
purity of Scotland's landscape and produce, and for your experience to
be not just brilliant, but "dead brilliant".

We've trained and prepared hard for G8, we're purposeful, professional
and focused, and now we're ready to do our job. Wednesday July 6 2005 is
going to be the busiest and most exciting day in the airport's seventy-
year history. In a highly complex logistical operation between 0625 and
2340 today, over 150 aircraft and helicopters will arrive at and depart
from Glasgow Prestwick. These aircraft movements comprise a mix of
scheduled, charter and freight services plus the incoming G8 aircraft
and departing helicopters. More than 10,000 people will pass through the
airport today.

Chief Executive Steve Fitzgerald said: "Two separate operations are
taking place today at Glasgow Prestwick, with Air Traffic Control
providing a smooth interface between the two. In one, it's business as
usual for our normal passenger and freight traffic during one of the
busiest weeks of the year while elsewhere we have a separately
positioned and resourced G8 operation.

"It's an historic day for Glasgow Prestwick and we're aware the eyes of
the world are on us. All our 500 employees are looking forward to
playing a small part in the G8 logistics. I'm very confident we'll do
our job with professionalism and pride."

This year, some 2.6m passengers will use Glasgow Prestwick, one of the
fastest-growing airports in Europe. Around half of the journeys will be
by international visitors using the airport as their gateway to and from
Scotland while the other half will be locals taking advantage of the
wide range of destinations.

The airport is the Scottish base for Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares
airline, which offers 17 European destinations. Our passengers find many
excellent reasons to choose Glasgow Prestwick:

* just 30 miles and 30 minutes from Glasgow city centre - the new
uncongested M77 motorway all the way

* 19 scheduled destinations

* 12 tour operators' charters

* great flight times

* 50% discount on rail travel to/from anywhere in Scotland

* our own railway station

* low cost on-site car parking

* newly-upgraded retail facilities

* all the amenities and services expected of a major airport

And the list of destinations accessible from Glasgow Prestwick is
impressive:

ALICANTE, ARRECIFE, BARCELONA, BOURGAS, BOURNEMOUTH, BRUSSELS, CARDIFF,
DONEGAL, DUBLIN, DUSSELDORF, FARO, FRANKFURT, GIRONA, GOTHENBURG,
HAMBURG, IBIZA, LAS PALMAS, LAS VEGAS, LONDON, LOURDES, MILAN, MURCIA,
ORLANDO, OSLO, PALMA, PARIS, PISA, ROME, SHANNON, STOCKHOLM and
TENERIFE.

Glasgow Prestwick is owned by Infratil Limited, a specialist investor in
infrastructure and utility assets. The company is listed on the New
Zealand Exchange and owns airports in New Zealand and Europe as well as
electricity, waste to energy and port investments in New Zealand and
Australia. Infratil Airport Holdings Limited, the European airports arm
of Infratil Limited, directly manages Glasgow Prestwick Airport,
recently announced a conditional agreement to buy Lubeck Airport in
Northern Germany, has an option over an airfield at Finow outside Berlin
and is currently assessing other European airport investment
opportunities.

Records show that very early aircraft were on or near the present site
back in 1913, a mere ten years after the Wright Brothers took to their
air. However, the story of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
really began around 1934 with a few small planes using "The Meadows" at
the end of Monkton Village.

In the pre-war years, the site developed as a training airfield. The
pioneer, David McIntyre, set up Scottish Aviation Ltd in 1935 and
acquired 348 acres of Ayrshire countryside. By the end of that year,
accommodation had been developed including a hangar for Tiger Moth bi-
planes, offices, lecture rooms and a small control tower.

As World War 2 intervened, the site developed into a major airport,
particularly for the delivery of American aircraft under the Lend Lease
programme.

To maintain the airport's place at the forefront of modern aviation, in
1958 the Government announced plans for a new terminal building, freight
building, runway extension, control tower and loop road around the
airport. In September 1964, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother,
officially opened the present terminal building.

The airport is associated with many "firsts": perhaps the most notable
is the visit of Elvis Presley en route from Germany to the USA on March
3, 1960. Elvis was finishing his American army national service and
stopped over in Ayrshire for two hours. In those days, Prestwick was
home for the 1631 USAF unit. It's the only time Elvis ever set foot on
UK soil.

But there's more to Glasgow Prestwick than passsengers: it's the largest
freight airport in Scotland and well positioned to be a major UK freight
hub. Ideally located on the "Great Circle Route", it's the first
mainland airport between USA and Europe, with no congestion, excellent
weather, 24-hour operation and a runway system to take all aircraft
types.

As well as offering excellent airport handling facilities, Glasgow
Prestwick and the surrounding area has a critical mass of aerospace
companies that can support based airlines. These include BAE Systems, GE
Caledonian, Goodrich, Woodward Governor, maintenance bases for Polar and
Ryanair and many other supporting companies. Prestwick is also the home
the National Air Traffic Control Centre.

Scottish Enterprise is developing a Centre of Excellence for the
Scottish aerospace industry to be based at Prestwick. The centre will
provide a base for the planned trade association for the Scottish
aerospace industry; a technology centre; a Supply-Chain Development
Centre; and a Skills Programme for the industry.

In addition, Glasgow Prestwick International Airport has enjoyed a long
and historic relationship with the Royal Air Force, the United States
and the Canadian Forces, and aircraft from many of the world's other
forces. The airport is capable of handling all military requirements
from the quick and efficient refuelling of a fighter aircraft to
accommodating the needs of a major operational exercise. The G8 is an
excellent example of Glasgow Prestwick's ability to accommodate complex
multi-national exercises.

Steve Fitzgerald added: "Today, the airport's future has never been
brighter. The foresight of the airport planners in 1964 in choosing this
ideal location for a major international airport looks certain to be
justified. The potential of Glasgow Prestwick airport knows no bounds.

"We hope all the people visiting Scotland in connection with the G8
enjoy their stay and will return some time in the future to see more of
this fantastic small country. I know they'll find it's "pure dead
brilliant".

ends 6 July 2005

Sandy Morton · Guest

In article <MPG.1d35b3369cd7d2e698a68d (AT) News (DOT) Individual.NET>, Jim
Mason <jim.mason (AT) spamtrappedukonline (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

BBB · Guest

Sandy Morton wrote:

Sandy Morton · Guest

In article <1120680687.304254.165660 (AT) g14g2000cwa (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
BBB <blimpie (AT) btopenworld (DOT) com> wrote: