The airport is working with Scottish exporters to fill the return leg of e-commerce flights coming in from the Far East with Scottish salmon and whisky, two of the United Kingdom’s biggest exports
In October 2024, HKAC launched a route between Hong Kong International Airport and Birmingham Airport in the UK. In September last year, the airline launched a new route between Hong Kong and Budapest in Hungary. The airline also began a freighter service to Oslo in the same month as it looked to benefit from demand for seafood products in Asia. In March 2024, the carrier launched a service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Shortly before, in February, the company began operating new routes to Liege in Belgium and London Stansted. Only in October 2023 did HKAC start operations in Europe for the first time with a service to Milan Malpensa.
Meanwhile, PIK has recently been building its e-commerce cargo operations.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) will be welcoming Hong Kong Air Cargo (HKAC) flights from 11th February 2025, making it the first Far East airline to operate at the airport. Hong Kong Air Cargo’s first flight to PIK will be an Airbus A330-200F operating from Hong Kong, with additional flights already planned for 18th and 25th February 2025. “The arrival of Hong Kong Air Cargo’s flights is a clear sign that our efforts to develop Prestwick as a leading e-commerce hub are delivering results,” said Nico Le Roux, Business Development Director, PIK.
“We have made significant investments over the past year to improve our cargo handling capabilities and attract traffic from the Far East, with new equipment and the appointment of a dedicated airport representative based in Greater China. “This comes on top of expansion based on our recently announced partnerships with Royal Mail Group and Chicago Rockford Airport in the US.”
The first Hong Kong Air Cargo flights will be carrying shipments from three of the top four e-commerce platforms – SHEIN, Temu, and TikTok – all of which operate out of Hong Kong.
“PIK is our first new destination for 2025 and is the ideal choice to support our growing operations into the UK as we will benefit from fast turnaround times and an experienced cargo team,” said Tony Ma, Chairman, Hong Kong Air Cargo. “The hub’s location is ideal for our e-commerce flights, with easy access to road and rail connections, as well as by sea to Ireland, and we are looking to fill our return leg with two of the UK’s biggest exports to the Far East by weight. “We look forward to working closely with the team at Prestwick to develop this new route.”
Each flight will carry up to 60 tonnes of cargo, which will be processed and sorted at PIK before final mile delivery by Royal Mail Group and EVRI. PIK’s Business Development team is now focussing on securing cargo for the return leg to Hong Kong.
“The next step is ensuring that the return flights to Hong Kong are fully utilised, presenting a major opportunity for Scottish exporters,” said Le Roux. “Scottish salmon and whisky are highly sought-after in Asia, and this new route provides a direct and efficient means of getting these premium products to the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese market.”
The airport is collaborating with Scottish export associations to increase exports flying out of PIK, avoiding the trucking of goods to London Heathrow Airport.
HKAC currently has five A330-200Fs that are dry leased from its parent company Hong Kong Airlines, plus an EFW-converted Airbus A330-300P2F that is on ACMI lease. By 2027, HKAC aims to have 15 aircraft – comprising owned and aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) leased aircraft.
