Air, Freight News


Prestwick wins first Far East carrier

[ February 5, 2025   //   ]

Hong Kong Air Cargo will become the first Far East airline to launch flights to Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The first flight on 11 February will be an Airbus A330-200F operating from its home hub, with additional flights already planned for 18 and 25 February.

The first flights will be carrying shipments from three of the top four e-commerce platforms – SHEIN, Temu, and TikTok – all of which operate out of Hong Kong. Each flight will carry up to 60 tonnes, which will be processed and sorted at PIK before final mile delivery by Royal Mail Group and EVRI.

The airport is working with Scottish exporters to fill the return leg with Scottish salmon and whisky and is collaborating with trade associations to increase exports flying out of PIK, avoiding the need to truck goods south.

Chairman of Hong Kong Air Cargo, Tony Ma, said: “PIK is our first new destination for 2025 and is the ideal choice to support our growing operations into the UK as we will benefit from fast turnaround times and an experienced cargo team. The hub’s location is ideal for our e-commerce flights, with easy access to road and rail connections, as well as by sea to Ireland, and we are looking to fill our return leg with two of the UK’s biggest exports to the Far East by weight.”

Prestwick business development director, Nico Le Roux added: “The arrival of Hong Kong Air Cargo’s flights is a clear sign that our efforts to develop Prestwick as a leading e-commerce hub are delivering results. We have made significant investments over the past year to improve our cargo handling capabilities and attract traffic from the Far East, with new equipment and the appointment of a dedicated airport representative based in Greater China.

“This comes on top of expansion based on our recently announced partnerships with Royal Mail Group and Chicago Rockford Airport in the US.”

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