Yes, you can smoke at Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) in the designated areas outside the terminal building, on the landside forecourt before security. Prestwick’s own smoking guidance describes the airport as “a smoke-free airport, in line with the law on smoking in enclosed public spaces in Scotland” — a smoke-free area that takes in the terminal building and the railway station — and states that smoking is only allowed in the designated areas outside the terminal.
The Designated Smoking Areas
The smoking areas sit outside the terminal building at ground level, on the landside forecourt. Taxis and pre-booked private-hire cars drop off and pick up directly outside the front of the terminal, so the walk from the kerb to a cigarette is a matter of seconds, and it is a short stroll from the car parks spread through the airport grounds. Prestwick publishes no door numbers for the area — follow the signage as you leave the terminal doors and stand clear of the entrance.
Prestwick’s smoke-free area reaches past the terminal walls. The airport’s guidance names the railway station alongside the terminal building, and the covered walkway that carries passengers over the road into the terminal is fully enclosed with glass sides, so the platform, the walkway and the concourse all sit inside the smoke-free area. Arriving by train, the sequence is walkway in, escalator or lift down to check-in, then back out of the front doors for a smoke.
Ayrshire weather reaches the forecourt: Prestwick sits on the Firth of Clyde coast and the front of the terminal is open to the wind coming off the water, so a winter smoke break is a jacket-on affair.
After Security
Prestwick’s guidance puts it plainly: once you have passed through security you will not be able to smoke anywhere in the airport. The departure lounge, the gates and the toilets are all smoke-free, and there is no shelter or terrace on the airside of the search area.
From the departure lounge, a cigarette means leaving the secure area, walking out to the forecourt and clearing security a second time. Prestwick’s single search area moves quickly at off-peak hours, so the round trip is feasible with a long wait ahead of boarding — our guide to smoking during layovers sets out how to judge whether you have the time.
Prestwick’s scheduled traffic is point-to-point leisure flying, so very few passengers connect here. For a Scottish airport where the smoke break survives the checkpoint, Aberdeen keeps an airside smoking shelter past security; Glasgow Airport, around 30 miles north, keeps its single smoking area landside like Prestwick.
Terminal Layout and Airlines
Prestwick runs one passenger terminal in South Ayrshire, about 32 miles southwest of Glasgow, with its own railway station two trains an hour from Glasgow Central (40 minutes) and Ayr (10 minutes), and the Stagecoach X77 express stopping on the road outside. The covered walkway from the station arrives at an upper level, with escalators, a lift and stairs down to check-in; from there it is one security search area and one departure lounge with World Duty Free.
Ryanair is the sole scheduled passenger airline, flying two Prestwick-based aircraft to Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Málaga, Murcia, Palma, Pisa, Tenerife and Turin. The airport carried more than 600,000 passengers in the year to 31 March 2026, an 11% rise on the year before, alongside a fast-growing cargo business that has become its main commercial engine. Prestwick has been owned by the Scottish Government since November 2013 and operates at arm’s length as a commercial business.
Heading south to Spain, the smoking picture changes at the far end: Alicante has smoking areas after security, as do several of the other Ryanair destinations on the Prestwick board.
Vaping and E-Cigarettes
Vape at the same designated areas outside the terminal building — e-cigarettes, pod devices and heat-not-burn products are treated exactly like cigarettes at Prestwick, so they belong on the forecourt rather than in the terminal, the departure lounge, the toilets or the covered walkway. Since June 2025 disposable vapes can no longer be sold anywhere in the UK, so travel with a refillable device rather than counting on picking one up at the airport.
If you are carrying a lighter, Prestwick’s security guidance groups lighters with liquids, aerosols and gels: containers under 100ml, all together in one clear resealable bag no larger than 20cm x 20cm.
Summary
| Area | Smoking Allowed | Location Details |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the terminal building | Yes | Designated landside areas on the forecourt, clear of the entrance |
| Inside the terminal | No | Smoke-free throughout, including check-in and toilets |
| After security / departure lounge | No | Smoke on the forecourt before you clear the search area |
| Railway station and covered walkway | No | Enclosed and covered by the airport’s smoke-free area |
| Vaping | Outdoor areas only | Same rules as cigarettes, including heat-not-burn devices |
For United Kingdom airport smoking rules, vaping rules, and other general info, see our United Kingdom smoking guide.