SCOTTISH ministers have insisted they hold no information on which military aircraft are using Prestwick Airport – or where they are being deployed.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown yesterday dodged a question on whether the airport had been used by US military aircraft for rendition flights or live missions to Syria.

But a Scottish Government spokesman later said the facility – which it bought for £1 in 2013 when it faced closure – was operated at arm’s length, adding: “The Scottish Government does not hold information on the purpose of aircraft using the airport.”

He said: “Handling private and military flights has been a part of Glasgow Prestwick Airport’s business for many decades.

“Ultimately, the UK Government’s Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority are responsible for determining which airline or country is allowed to operate flights into the UK.”

Mr Brown was questioned after giving a statement at Holyrood on the airport, which has faced scrutiny over its hosting of military aircraft.

He insisted it is "legitimate" that Prestwick, along with "virtually every airport in the UK", accommodates military flights.

He said: "This [military flights] is a vital part of what the airport does, it has done it for decades and it will continue to do it in future."

Questioned on when the airport would be returned to private ownership, Mr Brown said: "We can't give a date for when we expect it to transfer back to the private sector.

"We do talk to anybody that shows an interest in doing that and we are seeing things moving in the right direction with the increase in turnover and the reduction in losses but it will take some time for us to achieve that."

He said he believes the 2032 date given previously by the management team is achievable and the airport could be returned to private hands before then.

Figures show Prestwick makes almost £1.1m a year from military air traffic – far more than it makes from general flights.