None other than Elvis Presley once graced the tarmac at a Scottish airport.
20:00, 18 Feb 2026
The Scottish Netball Team at Prestwick Airport in 1976(Image: Daily Record/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
If you have ever travelled outside of Scotland, and especially the UK, it is likely you have visited at least one of the country’s airports over the years. We don’t often think about it, but Scottish airports have a truly fascinating history.
Air travel is such a major part of modern life that it is funny to imagine a world without it. However, it really was not all that long ago that Scotland had no airports at all—and the ones that did exist were exclusively used by the military during World War One and World War Two.
The Daily Record has journeyed back in time to delve into the history of Scotland’s airports. While there are many airports located across the country, we are specifically looking at Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and Aberdeen Airport today.
As well as rounding up the fascinating histories of Scotland’s biggest airports, we have also found some amazing vintage snaps from days gone buy. While the standout is easily a photo taken of none other than Elvis Presley during his one and only visit to Scotland, they are all incredible.
Read on for a look back at the history of some of the biggest airports across Scotland, along with some photographs taken at them throughout the years. Let us know your earliest memory of going to one of Scotland’s airports in the comments below!
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE
Edinburgh Airport
The history of Scotland’s biggest airport begins in 1916, when the Turnhouse Aerodrome opened as the most northern World War One military base in Britain. A few years later, the airfield was renamed the RAF Turnhouse in 1918 following the formation of the Royal Air Force.
The first runway at the airport was not constructed until the beginning of World War Two years later, while the first commercial services followed in 1947. Fast forward to 1971, the British Airports Authority took over Edinburgh Airport and the first terminal was opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
From here, the popularity of the airport grew as air travel became accessible and more and more people travelled by plane. From athletes to politicians to celebrities, many famous faces touched down in Edinburgh throughout the late 20th century.
A New Zealand athlete arrives in Edinburgh for the third Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in 1970(Image: Dove/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The next major shake-up came in 2012, when Global Infrastructure Partners took over control from the British Airports Authority—resulting in the addition of new routes and a multi-million-pound terminal expansion. Later, in 2024, VINCI Airports acquired more than 50 per cent of Edinburgh Airport.
Now the busiest airport in the country, Edinburgh Airport flies to more than 150 destinations around the world. Impressively, in 2024, it even became the first airport in Scotland to record more than 15 million passengers in a single calendar year.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport
You might assume that Glasgow Airport is the oldest airport serving Scotland’s largest city, but that honour actually belongs to Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Established in the 1920s, it has operated as an airfield for more than 100 years—with its founders being the first aviators to have flown over Mount Everest.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport was used as a military base by the Royal Air Force during World War Two, while after the war ended it became the only airport in Scotland to offer transatlantic flights to the public. To this day, it remains an important hub for the both the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Prestwick Airport also holds the unique honour of being the only place in the UK where rock and roll legend Elvis Presley ever set foot. A United States Air Force transport plane was carrying the musician home to the United States from West Germany in 1960 when it stopped at Prestwick to refuel—with Elvis briefly mingling with fans before getting back on the plane.
Elvis walks down the steps at Glasgow Prestwick Airport onto Scottish soil for the only time in 1960(Image: Ian Ghee)
Changes came during the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of a new terminal building, a freight building, a control tower, and a longer runway. Glasgow Prestwick Airport welcomed its first jumbo jet during this time, while it would also later be used as a training facility for Concorde pilots.
To this day, Glasgow Prestwick Airport welcomes around 2.5 million passengers each year—as well as many world leaders including multiple United States presidents. It flies to various countries across Europe, including Spain, Italy, Portugal, and more.
Glasgow Airport
The history of Glasgow Airport begins in the 1960s, when it was decided that Glasgow Prestwick Airport would be replaced as it had reached its capacity. The new site was decided as Abbotsinch in Paisley, which was significantly closer and more accessible for those living in Glasgow itself.
Construction started in 1965 and finished one year later, with Queen Elizabeth II officially opening Glasgow Airport on June 27, 1966. Initially only permitted to handle UK and intra-European traffic, the airport was later taken over by the British Airports Authority in 1975—with a £2 million extension of the passenger terminal following shortly after.
Glasgow Airport under construction in 1965(Image: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
British Airways’ Concorde arrived in Glasgow for the first time a few years later in 1981, flying a commemorative flight between the city and London. Following a change of Prestwick’s transatlantic gateway status, Glasgow Airport also welcomed various foreign airlines.
An additional £60 million development of a new international pier, baggage hall, and immigration area commenced in 1990, opened two years later by HRH, The Princess Royal. It has since received further extensions and renovations over the years, with Sir Chris Hoy opening a new International Arrivals area in 2014.
One of the most notable incidents in Glasgow Airport’s history came in 2007, when it was targeted by a terrorist attack. A day after a failed car bomb attack in London, a burning Jeep was driven into the entrance of the airport’s main terminal—though thankfully both perpetrators were apprehended at the scene and no civilians were killed.
Police officers remove gas canisters from the burnt wreckage of a vehicle use to ram a passenger terminal at Glasgow Airport in 2007(Image: MARK RUNNACLES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Today, Glasgow Airport is Scotland’s second-busiest airport after Edinburgh and welcomes around 8 million passengers every year. It flies to a huge range of destinations, including Canada, Germany, Greece, Egypt, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and many more.
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport first opened its doors in 1934 as Dyce Airport, though it was soon taken over by the Royal Airforce at the start of World War Two. After the war ended, the airport gradually grew and expanded—while its popularity surged following the discovery of North Sea oil in 1967.
At this time, the airport became an important hub for helicopters linking oil rigs to the Scottish mainland. It also welcomed more and more passengers, with a £10 million investment and the opening of a new passenger terminal in 1977.
Queen Elizabeth ll arrives at Aberdeen Airport in 1974 with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral(Image: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
Other milestones in the history of Aberdeen Airport include the opening of a newly refurbished £10 million departure lounge in 2007, the unveiling of a war memorial honouring the men who once served there, and the development of a 124-metre runway extension in 2011.
Despite not matching the traffic of the airports in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Aberdeen Airport remains one of the most popular in Scotland and travels to a number of countries around Europe. It was named the fastest growing airport in the UK in 2011, with 1.9 million travellers using the airport in 2013.