Scottish airport reports transformational year with three new cargo operators and 200 jobs created as China links strengthen across multiple carriers
Air China Cargo has continued to expand its operations at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which has enjoyed a bumper year in cargo.
The airport said the “major expansion” would see Air China Cargo double its weekly freighter services to the airport from four to eight by adding a service from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) to its existing Guangzhou (CAN) route.
The new service will operate using one of the airline’s A330 freighters. FlightRadar24 data shows that the service includes a stop in Stockholm on the westbound leg.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport chief executive Ian Forgie said: “Air China Cargo’s decision to double its flights from Prestwick is a strong vote of confidence in our team and our cargo capacity.
“The past six months have been among the busiest in Prestwick’s history, as we have welcomed three new scheduled cargo operators and expanded our facilities to support sustained growth.
“This has been a transformational year, and we expect this momentum to continue into 2026 as we deepen our role as a strategic gateway between the UK and the rest of the world.”
Air China Cargo launched operations to Prestwick in June with flights from CAN. The airline has also based an operational and commercial team at Prestwick to support services.
The Scottish airport has also added regular flights from China Southern Air Logistics and Beijing Capital Airlines this year. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Air Cargo has also operated flights to the airport carrying e-commerce goods.
Prestwick said the increase in cargo volumes had helped create 200 new jobs, seen £1m invested in new cargo equipment and the launch of a dedicated Scotland-China seafood export centre.
