Glasgow Prestwick Airport has passed the one million-kilogram mark for Scottish salmon exports since the start of 2026, underscoring its growing role in long-haul perishables traffic to Asia. The year-to-date total represents around 1,000 tonnes of salmon moving through the Ayrshire gateway, driven largely by demand in China.
The volumes follow the ramp-up of a dedicated Scotland–China seafood export operation launched in September 2025. Air China Cargo, which began Prestwick–Chengdu services in June 2025, increased frequencies from four flights per week to daily in March 2026 to accommodate rising seafood loads. According to airport information, this brought Prestwick’s scheduled cargo services to and from mainland China to 15 flights per week, with China Southern Logistics also serving the airport.
To support the traffic, Prestwick has invested in temperature-controlled infrastructure, including chiller capacity, dedicated cool-chain staff, and monitoring systems for temperature exposure and product tracking. Handling processes for salmon exports also incorporate high-volume metal detection to meet food-safety requirements.
China has become a key growth market for Scottish salmon, ranked as Scotland’s third most valuable export destination in 2025 with shipments worth £97 million, up 28% year on year. France remained the largest market at £337.6 million, followed by the United States at £300.6 million. New cargo routes from Prestwick to South Korea and Vietnam are providing additional direct access for Scottish seafood exporters across Asia.