Glasgow Prestwick signs agreement with China's third largest city to strengthen ties

The agreement, signed during the International Air Transport Association (IATA) North Asia Cargo Day in Guangzhou, China, follows a year in which Prestwick has expanded its role as a UK gateway for Asian e-commerce and high value exports, such as Scottish salmon and whisky.

Guangzhou, historically known as Canton, is China's third-largest city and the capital of the Guangdong province.

“This agreement gives Prestwick a direct platform to work with one of Asia’s most important cargo gateways at a time when e-commerce growth, capacity pressure, and demand for faster export routes are reshaping trade between China and the United Kingdom,” said Jules Matteoni, Executive Director, Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

“Prestwick’s value is its ability to turn available runway capacity into reliable cargo handling, fast landside access, and direct trade lanes that work in both directions, supporting Asian goods moving into the United Kingdom and Scottish exports moving into high value overseas markets.”

The agreement will support closer cooperation between the two airports on cargo development, operational knowledge sharing, and network connectivity.

Prestwick now handles 15 scheduled services a week to and from mainland China, including scheduled services to CAN, alongside three weekly Hong Kong services.

The MoU marks the latest step in Prestwick’s strategy to pair inbound Asian e-commerce with outbound premium exports, creating a more balanced, direct, and resilient cargo model for airlines, forwarders, and shippers.

Last week, marked one year since Air China Cargo launched scheduled freighter operations at the airport, with the partnership growing from three to 11 weekly services.

Air China Cargo, which established Prestwick as one of its UK cargo hubs in June 2025, now connects the airport with Chengdu, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, supporting inbound e-commerce and export capacity for Scottish producers.

“Air China Cargo’s first year at Prestwick shows how runway capacity, specialist cargo handling, and direct access to major Asian markets can work together to create reliable trade lanes,” said Ian Forgie, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

“The partnership has moved from a single Guangzhou service to a wider mainland China network, giving shippers more resilience, more schedule choice, and a faster route for e-commerce imports and time sensitive exports.”

The anniversary follows cargo milestones at Prestwick, including daily Chengdu flights, the launch of a scheduled Shanghai service, and more than 25 million e-commerce parcels processed through its dedicated e-commerce warehouse.

Prestwick has also marked more than one million kilograms of Scottish salmon exported since 1 January 2026, supported by specialist handling, dedicated cool chain personnel, and 87 tonnes of chiller capacity. The wider cargo growth has contributed to more than 250 direct jobs and expanded freighter options.

The number of passengers travelling through Scottish airports reached record levels in the first quarter of this year. UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data shows 5,795,334 passengers used Scottish airports during the period.

This was up almost 5 per cent on last year when 5,541,845 passengers passed through terminals during that period.

Short-haul European flights have been the main driver of the rise, the CAA said.

Edinburgh Airport saw one of the highest increases in passenger numbers in the UK with more than 3.3 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 7 per cent on the same period the previous year.

Inverness Airport saw a 7 per cent rise to 152,870 passengers, while more than 1.6 million passengers used Glasgow Airport – a 4 per cent increase on the previous year.

Aberdeen Airport handled 467,350 passengers, down 2 per cent on the year before.

Andrew McConnell, CAA spokesman, said: “Scotland’s airports are seeing record demand, with more passengers choosing European destinations and growth building as we head into the summer.

“Even in a more challenging climate for aviation, services are continuing to operate reliably and passengers are travelling in strong numbers.”

The figures also show Prestwick had the largest increase in cargo tonnage in the UK.

Its freight operations expanded by 492 per cent to ship an extra 12,000 tons compared to the first quarter of 2025, the CAA said.

Scottish Government-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport runs 24/7 cargo operations and benefits with no restrictions or curfews on inbound or outbound flights, offering a fully in-house service, from cargo handling to aircraft fuelling.

Uncongested air and ground paths also mean less taxiing, less vectoring, and fewer emissions, and with no slot or gate constraints.

The airport averages a two hour turn around for a wide-bodied freighter aircraft after arrival, and can deliver a B747 full palletised offload onto trucks to arrive in Manchester within six hours of landing.

The airport has more than 12,000 square meters of warehouse space opening onto cargo apron, new cold storage facilities with a controlled range of -30C to +25C and our dedicated live animal team and on-site stables.

Warehouse screening options, which include a new Rapiscan X-ray machine with 7.5mm steel penetration, as well as the option to work with canines, allow the airport to handle of all types of cargo, including seven classes of Dangerous Goods, with specialised handling for Class1, as well as oversized cargo for the oil and gas, aerospace, and live touring industries.

And Prestwick boasts the longest commercial runway north of Manchester, which can accommodate the AN124.