Prestwick Airport doubles weekly China Cargo flights

• Glasgow Prestwick Airport has expanded its connectivity to China with Air China Cargo doubling its weekly cargo flights from four to eight, adding Chengdu to its existing Guangzhou route.
• The move follows one of the busiest periods in the airport’s history, with the emergence of three new cargo operators, major improvements to facilities and the creation of 200 new jobs.
• Prestwick expects continued growth into 2026 as it strengthens its position as a key shipping gateway between the UK and China, supported by new cold chain capabilities for seafood exports.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) has significantly increased its China operations with Air China Cargo doubling its weekly cargo services from four to eight, and adding China’s Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) to its existing Guangzhou service (CAN).

The four additional flights to CTU, using an A330 freighter, commenced on 22 November.

“Air China Cargo’s decision to double its flights from Prestwick is a strong vote of confidence in our team and cargo capacity,” said Ian Forgey, CEO of PIK.

“The past six months have been among the busiest in Prestwick’s history, as we welcomed three new scheduled freight operators and expanded our facilities to support sustainable growth.

“This has been a transformative 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 established its UK cargo hub at PIK in June earlier this year, and the airport also serves regularly scheduled flights from China Southern Air Logistics and Beijing Capital Airlines.

As a result, around 200 jobs have been created at the airport, and a £1 million investment in new equipment and a dedicated cold chain team has allowed the airport to launch a new seafood export service from Scotland to China in September.

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