18FEB26 was a double cause for celebration over at Glasgow’s Prestwick Airport (PIK). It invited representatives from its partner airlines, Royal Mail, and EVRi to mark Chinese New Year, which is now the Year of the Horse, and celebrate the impressive milestone of having handled over 25 million e-commerce parcels. And that in just 9 months. The first scheduled e-commerce flight to land at PIK, was back in MAY25. Since then, the airport has attracted more Chinese carriers, and its dedicated, 5,302 m² Terminal E facility has seen over 10,000 pallets pass through, carrying more than 23,000 tons of e-commerce shipments incoming from 600+ flights. As routes and volumes have grown, so have the number of employees. 250 new jobs were created during that time. The UK’s Royal Mail and EVRi have made PIK their e-commerce hubs, and Air China Cargo and China Southern Airlines have established their UK operating bases there. In total, 12 scheduled cargo services depart for China every week. “These new trade routes are expected to facilitate GBP 250 million of cross-border trade in 2026,” the release says.
Ian Forgie, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, commented: “The volume of parcels handled at Prestwick demonstrates the strength of demand for a reliable, uncongested gateway to the UK, and the expertise of our team in delivering at scale. By growing our route network, investing in our processing capability, and continuing to recruit locally, Prestwick is strengthening the reach of Scottish exporters and creating skilled jobs and real economic value for Ayrshire and the whole United Kingdom.”
