A dramatic image from the 2007 Glasgow Airport terrorist attack. Photo / AP
A major British airport is embroiled in a security row that involves a New Zealand infrastructure company.
The issue has surfaced due to the requirement for airports deemed to be terrorism security risks to ramp up their police presence.
Glasgow's Prestwick Airport is owned by New Zealand company
Infratil.
The airport asked for, and got, a number of additional police officers following the June 2007 terrorist attack on nearby Glasgow International Airport.
However, questions are now being asked about who is to pay for the continuation of the increased police presence.
Currently Prestwick pays for police officers stationed at the airport under terms agreed with Strathclyde Police, local newspaper the Ayr Advertiser reported today.
However, airport bosses Infratil are reportedly refusing to sign off on this year's new policing deal - which is set to cost the airport around £100,000.
Most officers based at the airport are from Special Branch and are armed.
The paper reports that Scotland's Department of Transport is trying to help resolve the dispute.
In the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, a Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the airport terminal and set ablaze.
It was the first terrorist attack to take place in Scotland since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.
Prestwick Airport is located in Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland, about 50 kilometres outside the city of Glasgow.
It caters for over two million passengers per year and is a popular gateway for visitors to and from many European cities using the budget airline Ryan Air.
A significant proportion of the airport's income derives from freight handling.
* Infratil owns, or is a major shareholder in, airports in New Zealand, Scotland, England and Germany.
