Doug Maclean Aviation Editor
Prestwick airport and Royal Mail exceed expectations and have delivered a new market leading solution for freight shipments.
I wrote in June that I thought the investment in cargo equipment at Prestwick was a shrewd piece of forward thinking.
I said that it was a smart decision of the airport Board to recently spend £2.2m on a range of specialist heavy lift cargo equipment, cold storage solutions and a state of the art cargo x-ray machine.
I also revealed that Royal Mail are now pointing customers towards Prestwick and the competitive advantages that operating through Prestwick can bring.
Vivian Davies, director of global imports at Royal Mail, said:
"Our successful collaboration with PIK in managing this flight arrival for our international e-commerce customers during peak times has showcased smoother landing, efficient airport handling, and faster, streamlined processing all the way to our final mile delivery.”
In my interview with Mr Nico Le Roux, the Business Development Director at Prestwick airport, I revealed that Prestwick was that week hosting a visit by a prominent Asian logistics provider, who were coming to see Prestwick’s 860-acre site. They met with Mr Le Roux and saw the facilities and freight handling in action. It has long been an ambition to bring Far East based freighters directly to Prestwick. My summary was “Hopefully this is a step towards that becoming reality.”
I can now reveal that the investment, the agreement with the Post Office and the contact with the Asian logistics provider has come together and produced its first very large and very Christmas present for Ayrshire and the UK. A Boeing 777 freight aircraft arrived from Hong Kong and departed to Istanbul less than 2 hours later.
Zhonger Express and Jumen Logistics chartered flight was operated by Silk Way West Airlines Cargo and carried a 90-tonne consignment for Royal Mail final mile deliveries.
Products from Temu and TikTok – two of the four major e-commerce platforms – were on board, and representatives were on-site to observe the handling process.
In addition to the equipment purchased Prestwick has taken charge of the massive freight warehouse beside the runway. Most people still refer to it as the Curry’s building from an early occupier of the building. Inside the airport have set up a handling operation for opening up cargo loads and processing them only minutes after the freight aircraft lands.
Nico Le Roux, business development director at Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK), said: “This flight was an opportunity for us to showcase PIK’s efficient and reliable solution for e-commerce imports to the UK. Our expert handling teams offloaded the cargo, broke it down, and swiftly segregated it by area region, before loading it onto trucks for onward delivery.”
Edwin Ning of Zhonger Express and Jumen Logistics, said:
“Undertaking a business venture of this magnitude obviously comes with a high-risk level. I have a lot of confidence in my own teams here in China, and had to carry out extensive diligence in the UK to find the perfect handling partner to make this trial an overwhelming success.
“The Prestwick team and Royal Mail exceeded themselves and we delivered a new market-leading solution to the e-commerce platform shippers. We will be regular visitors to Prestwick in the New Year.”
Vivian Davies, director of global imports at Royal Mail, said:
“Our successful collaboration with PIK in managing this flight arrival for our international e-commerce customers during peak times has showcased smoother landing, efficient airport handling, and faster, streamlined processing all the way to our final mile delivery.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with PIK and our customers to develop even more innovative solutions at this new eCommerce hub.”
We can now reveal what Mr Le Roux also told us in June. This flight is not just a one off for Christmas. In the early part of the year we expect to see more flights coming direct from China to Prestwick. There is work going on to build and export business for the return flights. This will make the whole operation immensely valuable for Scottish and UK customers, traders and airlines.
Increased freight traffic will ultimately help Prestwick grow and continue its 5 year run of profitable trading. We at Ayrshire Daily News hope this is the start of a long and healthy relationship with Royal Mail and all the other companies involved.
Well done team Prestwick and Royal Mail.
