Prestwick Airport has signed an agreement with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport aimed at supporting stronger trade ties between China and the UK.
The Ayrshire airport declared that the memorandum of understanding, signed during the International Air Transport Association (IATA) North Asia Cargo Day in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, “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”.
Jules Matteoni, executive director at Prestwick Airport, said: “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.
“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.”
Prestwick Airport said the agreement would “support closer cooperation between the two airports on cargo development, operational knowledge sharing and network connectivity”.
The Ayrshire airport, which has been owned by the Scottish Government since 2013, now handles 15 scheduled cargo services a week to and from mainland China, including services to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
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These services to and from mainland China are operated by Air China Cargo and China Southern Air Logistics.
Prestwick Airport also handles three weekly Hong Kong services, operated by Ethiopian Airlines.
The airport said the memorandum of understanding “marks the latest step” in its “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”.
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn on May 28 described the progress made by Prestwick Airport as “fairly incredible”.
And a UK Civil Aviation Authority report revealed on May 27 that Prestwick Airport’s year-on-year growth in cargo volumes in the first quarter was the fastest in the UK.
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