A BRAND new cargo service between Hong Kong and Prestwick has been officially launched with the arrival of the inaugural flight.

An Airbus A330-200F from Hong Kong Air Cargo touched down in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, February 11. 

The carrier operates charter and scheduled services across the world, after being set up in 2017. 

It uses a fleet of five Airbus A330-200F wide-body freighter aircraft with destinations across Asia and Europe. 

A special ceremony was held to see off the first flight leaving Hong Kong, attended by the airline's chairman Tony Ma. 

He said: “Glasgow Prestwick is our first new destination for 2025. We are delighted to inaugurate this new route.

"As a key player in the air cargo industry, we are proud to expand our reach to Scotland, marking our dedication to enhancing global trade connections and strengthening our presence in the UK market and beyond.”

Additional flights are now planned for February 18 and 25, with the new route praised by Nico Le Roux, business development director at Prestwick Airport.

He said: “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.

“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 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.

Tony Ma added: “Prestwick 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.

“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.

Prestwick'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 the site, avoiding the trucking of goods to London's Heathrow Airport.