THE Scottish Greens have launched a Holyrood bid to ban the US military from Prestwick Airport and other publicly owned airports across Scotland.

Since the second world war, Prestwick Airport had served as a refuelling point for US military flights into Germany and earned the accolade in March 1960 of being the only spot where singer Elvis Presley set foot on UK soil.

But that military presence has long been a source of controversy, not least when it was used by President George W Bush in his kidnappings — known as “extraordinary rendition” — to take prisoners for torture in Guantanamo Bay.

The SNP Scottish government stepped in to nationalise the airport in 2013, but its reliance on military traffic has continued, with data compiled by the Scottish Greens using Flightradar24 showing 550 such visits since April 2025 alone.

Urging the Scottish government to back their Holyrood motion to end practice, Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP said: “Prestwick Airport is not a private military base. It is a publicly owned airport operated under the authority of the Scottish government.

“With Trump’s coup against Venezuela and aggression towards Greenland, continued permission for military use risks making Scotland complicit in actions that conflict with both domestic and international law.

“It is simply unacceptable that a foreign military, which has shown a total disregard for Scottish and international law, is continuing to use our publicly owned infrastructure.

“This is about ensuring no government, no matter how powerful, can disregard Scotland’s legal authority while enjoying unrestricted access to our public assets.

“The Scottish government must act decisively. That begins with the immediate eviction of US military operations from Prestwick and halting access to all Scottish government-owned airports for US military use.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Prestwick airport operates on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish government. Operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the airport are a matter for its management.”