The UK's Royal Mail has selected Glasgow Prestwick Airport (GPA) as one of its e-commerce hubs in a move that should boost volumes through the Scottish facility.
The British postal service said that the lack of flight restrictions had proved attractive when selecting the airport.
Royal Mail director of global imports Vivian Davies said: “Prestwick has no flight restrictions, congestion, or curfews on both inbound and outbound flights, offering round-the-clock availability, which is key for the fast turnaround needed in the e-commerce sector.
“By partnering with Prestwick, we are confident we can offer our existing and new international e-commerce customers an unbeatable service on both delivery time and cost.”
Prestwick added that it also offers up to half the cost of landing at some other UK hubs.
GPA development director Nico Le Roux said: "We are a full in-house operation, from ground handling and warehouse handling, to fire services, and air traffic control, which allows us to offer greater flexibility."
Operations director Jules Matteoni added: “This joint solution with Royal Mail allows us to provide full visibility with traceability from touchdown to customer delivery and the potential to save on lead times through simplified processes."
Le Roux said he was hopeful the airport would attract other e-commerce companies. He pointed out that a "prominent Asia logistics provider" will be visiting the site later this week.
The airport has recently spent £2.2m on cargo equipment, cold storage solutions and an x-ray machine.
Prestwick’s new equipment includes two high loaders with 20 and 35 tonne capacity respectively, a heavy-duty pushback tractor capable of handling any aircraft type, 12 new dollies, and a new Rapiscan X-ray machine with 7.5mm steel penetration.
The Scottish hub has also invested in new cold storage facilities with a controlled range of -30C to +25C.
Last year, UK Civil Aviation Authority statistics showed Prestwick handled 10,673 tonnes of freight.
https://www.aircargonews.net/cargo-airport/glasgow-prestwick-airport-invests-in-air-cargo/
