When you’ve spent the past couple of years intensifying Sino-Scottish business relations, ramping up your cargo operations and establishing your airport as a dedicated e-commerce gateway, attracting Royal Mail operations and a series of Chinese airlines, then it should be no great surprise to find yourself invited to represent the UK aviation sector at the recent UK state visit to China. That is precisely what happened. Not only was Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) invited as a representative to attend the exclusive diplomatic reception in Beijing during the UK Prime Minister’s state visit to China, but it was in fact the only business in the aviation industry invited by His Majesty’s Ambassador to China, Peter Wilson, and His Majesty’s Consul-General, Matt Burney, when Sir Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and a hand-picked group of other UK business leaders descended upon China to discuss the future of trade relations between the two countries. Glasgow Prestwick Airport’s participation was also extended to include the China-Britain Business Council UK–China Business Forum, held as part of the UK Government’s trade delegation.
Both Air China Cargo and China Southern Airlines chose PIK as their UK base, last year, offering a total of 12 scheduled freighter flights to China (Guangzhou and Chengdu), per week. Not only were more than 250 jobs created through these business decisions, but PIK will also play an increasing role in the forecasted GBP 250 million of cross-border trade this year, through these China-UK trade lanes. While e-commerce (together with Royal Mail and EVRi) comes in, PIK handles key Scottish exports such as salmon, seafood, and whisky, going out.
Ian Forgie, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, showcased: “Over the past year, Prestwick has made significant progress in attracting Chinese investment and building long-term partnerships that deliver real economic value for Scotland and the UK. Our invitation to the Prime Minister’s state visit is testament to this, our forward-thinking growth strategy, and the hard work of the entire team.”
Colin Dai, Regional Director, Asia, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, added: “Being present on this state visit, allows us to share practical insight into how aviation and logistics infrastructure can support sustainable trade growth, and we welcome continued progress in UK–China trade discussions, including on tariffs.”
