Prestwick Airport hails arrival of China Southern in 'first'
The agreement between the airport, which has been owned by the Scottish Government since 2013, and China Southern Air Logistics sees the carrier start scheduled cargo flights at four per week between Guangzhou and Prestwick, with plans for this to increase to a daily service.
The first scheduled flight landed today at Prestwick Airport, which also flagged the new freighter services as 'a new direct export route to China from Scotland for high-value Scottish seafood and whisky'.
The deal comes hard on the heels of Prestwick Airport winning major new ecommerce business from Hong Kong Air Cargo, which launched flights to and from the Ayrshire airport in February.
The agreement with China Southern sees the airport, known officially as Glasgow Prestwick, doubling its current scheduled freighter movements.
It was described as a 'game changer' by airport chief executive Ian Forgie.
Mr Forgie said: 'This is welcome news. The airport team have been working hard over the last 12 months to showcase the Prestwick solution as an alternative cargo gateway into the UK, and the board is delighted that a flagship carrier, China Southern Air Logistics, has established a scheduled service from China to Prestwick.'
He added: 'We anticipate this new trade route will grow rapidly in 2025 as Prestwick delivers on its plans and the market responds to an alternative cargo gateway into the UK and a new direct export route to China from Scotland for high-value Scottish seafood and whisky.'
He revealed the airport is 'in discussions with other airlines' and expects 'to make further announcements soon'.
Colin Dai, the airport's country sales director for Greater China, said 'The airport has a long history and reputation for handling wide-bodied freighters, providing fast aircraft turnaround and cargo handling, delivered through our in-house team.'
He added: 'We are proud to announce this landmark agreement between China Southern Air Logistics and Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and I know there is a lot of excitement from both sides to see the success of these flights.'
The airport noted it had invested £2.3 million in equipment in the last 12 months.
It added that it was 'continuing to invest in ground-handling equipment and cool chain supply facilities as well as employing more staff', to maximise its capabilities in handling large freighters.
Nico Le Roux, who heads Prestwick Airport's cargo operations, told The Herald in an exclusive interview in February that the airport expects to more than treble cargo revenues to in excess of £10m a year, viewing e-commerce flights as a 'game changer' after winning major business from Hong Kong.
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And he flagged potential for Scottish seafood and whisky exports to be transported on the return legs from Prestwick to Hong Kong, and early success in this endeavour.
The interview with Mr Le Roux, who has spent decades working in the air cargo industry, took place just hours before the overnight arrival of the first Hong Kong Air Cargo flight at Prestwick in February.
He said: 'This new business is going to be a game changer for the airport. It will totally transform the airport basically.'
Cargo revenues at the airport totalled £3.228m in the year to March 31, 2024.
Mr Le Roux revealed his expectation that cargo revenues would be more than treble that level in the airport's financial year to March 31, 2026, on the back of recent business wins.
He projected the workforce at Prestwick Airport would rise from 354 in February to around 400 on the back of the planned expansion of the cargo operations.
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