A new regular air cargo route has been launched between Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Zhengzhou in central China, strengthening trade links between Scotland and Asia.
The four-times-weekly service, operated by Beijing Capital Airlines – part of the Hainan Airlines Group – marks the carrier’s first dedicated freighter route to the UK. The inaugural flight, operated by an Airbus A330-200P2F, landed at Prestwick on Thursday 16 October.
Each flight will bring e-commerce goods and general cargo into the UK, while outbound services will carry premium Scottish exports such as salmon, whisky and other high-value products to China.
The new route forms part of Glasgow Prestwick’s wider cargo development strategy to establish regular, sustainable connections linking UK exporters with key international markets.
Beijing Capital Airlines becomes the third Chinese carrier to launch cargo operations at Prestwick in the past six months. China Southern Air Logistics began flights between Scotland and China in May, followed by Air China Cargo’s service to Guangzhou in June.
Ian Forgie, Chief Executive of Glasgow Prestwick Airport said: “This third scheduled service underlines Prestwick’s position as one of the United Kingdom’s leading cargo hubs and demonstrates the strength of our e-commerce solution.
He added that the new partnership with Beijing Capital “expands capacity, increases frequency and offers exporters throughout the UK a new destination in mainland China”.
Glasgow Prestwick currently provides over 12,000 square metres of warehousing, new cold storage facilities and a dedicated live animal handling team.
The airport recently invested more than £1m in a new seafood export service to China, launched in September.
China was Scotland’s third-largest market for salmon in 2024, with 8,175 tonnes valued at £76m exported.