AYRSHIRE'S four Labour MPs said yesterday they had an encouraging

meeting with the British Airports Authority chief, Sir John Egan, over

the future of Prestwick Airport.

The politicians, Mr George Foulkes, Mr David Lambie, Mr Brian Wilson

and Mr Willie McKelvey, had asked for talks to call for a quick

conclusion to discussions over the facility's future.

BAA announced earlier this year that it wished to dispose of the

airport. Three groups, including British Aerospace, which employs more

than 2000 people at the site and runs a commercial flying school, had

expressed interest in acquiring it.

In a statement issued after yesterday's meeting, the MPs said that BAA

had intimated it hoped to sell the airport in a way that was acceptable

to BAe and that would allow for the continued commercial operation of

the facility.

The MPs described the talks as encouraging and constructive.

They said Prestwick deserved the chance to prosper under new ownership

and that, while discussions with the three interested buyers had dragged

on, the airport was declining rapidly with staff morale at an all time

low, facilities closing down and potential services lost.

Prestwick was hit badly by the 1990 decision to allow Glasgow and

Edinburgh airports to compete with it for transatlantic flights.