On Thursday, 28 May, Glasgow Prestwick Airport confirmed a new direct cargo route to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, a move projected to boost the country’s exports into the Chinese market. The announcement follows a June 2025 agreement between the Scottish airport and the Shanghai Airport Authority to explore direct routes. That came just a month after the two parties launched scheduled freight services connecting Guangzhou and Prestwick, the first direct, scheduled China-Scotland cargo route.
Air China Cargo shifts flights from Guangzhou to Shanghai
Under the new setup, Air China Cargo will maintain its 11 weekly flights to Prestwick, but redirect three out of four of its weekly Boeing 777 services from Guangzhou to Shanghai. The deal is expected to support UK e-commerce imports while increasing outbound shipments of time-sensitive local products, particularly seafood.
The airport currently handles 15 mainland China services each week.
Since May 2025, it has processed 25 million e-commerce parcels.
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Since January 2026, it has moved over one million kilograms of local salmon outbound shipments. Those numbers come straight from airport data.
Shipping perishable goods by air avoids long maritime delays.
Traditional sea links between the UK and the Asian nation can take six to nine weeks, depending on the port. Air freight cuts that to around six to 16 days, door-to-door.
Cool chain investment and temperature-controlled facilities
The facility has invested in specialist equipment and cool chain personnel — supply chain professionals focused on maintaining cool temperatures.
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It operates temperature control facilities with 87 tonnes of chiller capacity.
That infrastructure is designed to keep local salmon and other perishables fresh during the journey to Asia.
“It opens up a valuable new trade lane for local exporters, including producers moving premium seafood and other time-sensitive goods into Asia,” said Ian Forgie, Chief Executive Officer of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Scotland’s outbound shipments to the Asian nation hit £407.5 million in 2024.
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Fish product sales overseas surged by 128.9% in the same year.
The Asian nation ranked among the fastest-growing markets for its products.
Separately, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is visiting Beijing this week for the 11th round of the bilateral strategic dialogue. The talks are aimed at trade and economic cooperation on shared interests like renewable energy technologies and artificial intelligence.
Scotland’s Holyrood, which does not hold foreign policy or national security powers, handles targeted commercial diplomacy and controls economic development. Through its Engagement Strategy with Beijing, the nation’s relationship with the Asian giant focuses on sustainable economic growth rather than sensitive geopolitical issues. The new air route fits that strategy neatly.