Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK), working alongside Royal Mail, has welcomed its first full e-commerce cargo flight, following several developments to its e-commerce operations over this year.

The flight, chartered by Zhonger Express and Jumen Logistics, was operated by Silk Way West Airlines Cargo and carried a 90-tonne consignment for Royal Mail final mile deliveries.

Products from two of the four major e-commerce platforms, Temu and TikTok, were on board and representatives were on-site to observe the handling process at PIK.

This announcement follows PIK’s partnership with Royal Mail, becoming its international e-commerce hub for the UK, and recent efforts to expand operations in Asia, including the appointment of a dedicated sales representative in China.

“This flight was an opportunity for us to showcase PIK’s efficient and reliable solution for e-commerce imports to the UK,” said Nico Le Roux, Business Development Director, PIK.

“Our expert handling teams offloaded the cargo, broke it down, and swiftly segregated it by area region, before loading onto trucks for onward delivery.”

Earlier this year, PIK also invested over GBP2 million in new cargo equipment, including two high loaders and 12 new dollies, supporting fast turnaround times.

“Undertaking a business venture of this magnitude obviously comes with a high-risk level,” said Edwin Ning of Zhonger Express and Jumen Logistics.

“I have a lot of confidence in my own teams here in China, and had to carry out extensive diligence in the UK to find the perfect handling partner to make this trial an overwhelming success.

“The Prestwick team and Royal Mail exceeded themselves and we delivered a new market-leading solution to the e-commerce platform shippers.

“We will be regular visitors to Prestwick in the New Year.”

PIK’s partnership with Royal Mail was announced at this year’s air cargo China exhibition in Shanghai.

Vivian Davies, Director of Global Imports, Royal Mail, said: “Our successful collaboration with PIK in managing this flight arrival for our international e-commerce customers during peak times has showcased smoother landing, efficient airport handling, and faster, streamlined processing all the way to our final mile delivery.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with PIK and our customers to develop even more innovative solutions at this new eCommerce hub.”

PIK’s Business Development team is now working towards scheduling regular e-commerce flights in the new year and is working with Scottish exporters to ship Scottish Whisky and salmon to the Far East on the return leg of e-commerce flights.