Scottish airport's 'fairly incredible' progress as exciting megacity route opens |
“Fairly incredible” was how new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn described the progress made by Prestwick Airport last week.
He offered this view during an exclusive interview with The Herald last Thursday, the day after a UK Civil Aviation Authority report revealed Prestwick Airport’s year-on-year growth in cargo volumes in the first quarter was the fastest in the UK.
And Mr Flynn made plain his enthusiasm about what has been happening at Prestwick on the day that a further boost to the Ayrshire airport’s cargo connectivity was unveiled, in the form of flights to and from Shanghai. This is without doubt an exciting connection to one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities.
You would imagine this will be another attractive opportunity for Scottish exporters of salmon and other seafood and whisky which Prestwick Airport has been working hard to attract since its major breakthroughs last year on cargo flights to and from China.
The team at Prestwick has already enjoyed much success on this front, announcing last month it had “reached the milestone of one million kilograms of Scottish salmon exported through the airport since January 1, 2026”.
Prestwick Airport has been owned by the Scottish Government since 2013, when it was rescued through a £1 purchase from former owner Infratil of New Zealand.
Asked about the Ayrshire airport during the interview last Thursday at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Flynn quite understandably noted he was still getting his “feet under the table” but declared: “Prestwick appears to be a huge success story. The Government took a bold and brave decision when it stepped in a number of years ago, and the progress that’s been made is fairly........