HONG KONG Air Cargo (HKAC) will begin flying to Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) in Scotland this month as it continues to expand its global network.

The Hong Kong International-hubbed cargo airline said in a LinkedIn post on February 3 that the route was a first for the region.

"Thrilled to announce that we will be inaugurating flights to Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) from February 10, marking the first Far East airline to operate to Glasgow Prestwick," said the airline.

HKAC's first flight to PIK will be carried out with an Airbus A330-200 freighter operating from Hong Kong, with additional flights already planned for 18 and 25 February 2025.

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.

Each flight will carry up to 60 tonnes of cargo, which will be processed and sorted at Prestwick before final mile delivery by Royal Mail Group and EVRI.

"PIK 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," said Tony Ma, chairman, Hong Kong Air Cargo.

"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," he said.