Air China Cargo will double its weekly freighter services at Glasgow Prestwick Airport from four to eight, adding a new route from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to its existing Guangzhou service. The expansion marks a major boost for the Scottish hub, reported London's Air Cargo News.

The new service will be operated with an A330 freighter and includes a stop in Stockholm on the westbound leg, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport chief executive Ian Forgie said the decision was a strong vote of confidence in the airport�� team and cargo capacity. He noted the past six months had been among the busiest in Prestwick�� history.

Air China Cargo began services to Prestwick in June from Guangzhou and has since based an operational and commercial team at the airport to support growth.

Prestwick has also welcomed new flights from China Southern Air Logistics and Beijing Capital Airlines this year, while Hong Kong Air Cargo has operated services carrying e-commerce goods.

The airport said rising cargo volumes had created 200 jobs, driven GBP1 million (US$1.32 million) investment in new equipment and supported the launch of a Scotland-China seafood export centre.