As exclusively revealed in Ayrshire Daily News on 5th September, Air China Cargo have launched new twice weekly freight flights between Ürumqi, China and Prestwick.
Aviation Editor – Doug Maclean.
Scottish exporters now have direct access to China’s Northwest region. The already rapidly increasing exports of seafood, pharmaceuticals and whisky are likely to be high on the list of UK high value goods flowing out through Prestwick.
The new service, which commenced on Sunday 13th September, will operate twice a week, adding to Air China’s existing connections from Prestwick to Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai.
Commenting on the growth of Air China at Prestwick and noting that flights have only been running for just over 15 months Jules Matteoni, Prestwick’s CEO, said “Air China’s decision to add Ürümqi to its Prestwick network is another important step in a partnership that has grown significantly in a relatively short period of time,”
Mr Matteoni revealed that Prestwick had worked closely with Air China and would continue to support them with their existing and new services. Prestwick have built a great relationship with the airlines which already, or want to, operate through Prestwick. Understanding the needs of the airlines and their customers is a key reason why the airport has been so successful in boosting freight imports and, very importantly, exports.
Jules continued “The addition of another two weekly flights reflects the trust that has been built between our teams and, importantly, creates a direct trade lane between Scotland and a new region of China.”
Seafood in general, and Scottish salmon in particular, is proving to be a huge boost to exports through Prestwick. 1.78 million kilograms of Scottish salmon was exported in the first six months of this year. Prestwick has expanded special cool storage facilities which keeps the perishable cargo fresh while waiting to be loaded on to one of the multiple flights on dedicated air freighters. Long time customers like Cargolux and Air France also now have new opportunities to take Scottish and UK seafood to customers worldwide.
Urumqi is a city of over 4 million people and the new service is likely to bring in e commerce goods from central and northwestern China. Additionally, it is likely that general cargo like electronics and fashion clothing will also be arriving. The area is not frequently served by dedicated European air freight flights and the ability to import fresh Scottish salmon, langostinos and crabs is likely to be very attractive to new Chinese customers.
Colin Dai, Prestwick Airport’s Regional Director for Asia also talked about the relationships built up with existing and new airlines.
“We want Prestwick to be an airport where our airline partners can grow with confidence.”
“Air China’s continued investment in its network here shows what can be achieved when we work together to develop routes that make commercial sense for the airline, the airport, and the Scottish and UK businesses that rely on regular uplift and connectivity.”
This new route is the 5th major city in China to be served from Prestwick. In just over a year the Air China operation has grown at a rate which few people would have expected. There are now 16 weekly scheduled services operating to and from mainland China and cargo tonnage has quadrupled year-on-yea. The airport, owned by the Scottish Government, has recently reported its seventh consecutive profitable year.
There is strong hope that further airlines and services will be attracted to the successful operation at Prestwick. Frequency and reliability are key to exporters having confidence in starting or increasing services. Prestwick has proved to be highly reliable and the airlines have responded by introducing additional flights and destinations.
Exporters and importers have been persuaded by Prestwick’s ability to handle the largest cargoes at any time of any day or night and the airlines are likely to be seeing profits flowing in from their bold decision to set up completely new routes.
The number of staff employed at Prestwick has grown month on month with at least 250 new jobs created. Investment in the airport facilities was a bold decision by Prestwick Airport’s Board. The outlook continues to be bright and the hard work of all at Team Prestwick is a win – win – win situation.