The inaugural flight of a new regular Air China Cargo freighter service into Glasgow Prestwick Airport landed at the Scottish gateway this morning (June 2).
The three times a week scheduled freighter service flies in from Guangzhou, China. The frequency of the service is expected to increase in the future, a Prestwick statement said.
Air China Cargo is also to base an operational and commercial team at Prestwick to support the service.
Ian Forgie, chief executive of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, declared the decision of Air China Cargo to choose the gateway as its UK freighter base was “an endorsement of Prestwick’s exceptional cargo handling capabilities and the service that our team deliver”.
He continued: “With the addition of the three new Air China Cargo flights we now have seven flights a week between China and Glasgow Prestwick.
“We are excited to see the possibilities for Scottish exporters as we hope the return flights will become a strong trade lane between Scotland and Greater China and an alternative cargo gateway to and from the UK.”
Nico Le Roux, business development director at Glasgow Prestwick, observed: “Our investment in our cargo handling facilities and partnerships with leading last-mile providers has paid off.”
And Colin Dai, the airport’s country sales director for Greater China, added: “The launch of Air China Cargo’s first scheduled freighter service between China and the UK is a proud milestone for Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
“As China’s national flag-carrier, Air China Cargo’s decision to operate direct flights between Guangzhou and Glasgow Prestwick is a strong vote of confidence in our capabilities and ambition to become the UK’s leading gateway for East Asia trade.”
Expanding links to China
It was only last month (May) that China Southern Air Logistics launched scheduled cargo flights to Glasgow Prestwick.
The agreement is for an initial four flights a week to the Scottish airport, but there are said to be plans to increase to frequency a daily service. The first scheduled flight departed from Guangzhou in China and landed at Prestwick on May 16.
The agreement means the airport doubling its current scheduled freighter movements and was described as a “game changer” by Forgie.
