Ethiopian Airlines Launches Three Weekly Freighter Flights from Hong Kong to Glasgow Prestwick

#EBR_News Apr 24, 2026

Ethiopian Airlines has launched a scheduled freighter service connecting Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) with Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) in Scotland, ramping up its e-commerce capacity as global parcel volumes continue to surge. The thrice-weekly flights will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, carried aboard the airline’s Boeing 777 freighter fleet.

The new service is expected to carry predominantly e-commerce shipments into Prestwick, which has positioned itself as a dedicated e-commerce gateway for the UK market after investing heavily in a purpose-built handling model. The aircraft then continues to Seoul Incheon (ICN) before returning to Hong Kong, with a stop at Oslo Airport (OSL) on the return leg.

Glasgow Prestwick has transformed itself into a specialist e-commerce hub, processing more than 25 million parcels through its Terminal E facility in February, a milestone it reached with the help of Air China Cargo and China Southern Airlines, which already operate a combined 15 weekly scheduled freighter flights from mainland China.

The airport’s growth in long-haul cargo services is expected to facilitate up to GBP 250 million in cross‑border trade in 2026. Royal Mail and EVRi established e‑commerce hubs in the airport’s dedicated 5,302 m² facility last year, and the expansion has already created over 250 direct jobs.

Scottish salmon exporters, pharmaceuticals, life sciences companies and other perishable industries also benefit from Prestwick’s dedicated cool‑chain facilities and specialist import-export services.

The new Hong Kong-Prestwick link is the latest in a series of Ethiopian Cargo expansion moves. In recent months the airline added a twice-weekly charter route connecting Macao and Madrid, which is expected to exceed 20,000 tons of cross‑border cargo annually.

It also integrated its booking system into the Freightos platform, giving freight forwarders digital access to real-time rates and e-booking across Ethiopian’s network, which serves more than 145 cargo destinations worldwide.

With an e‑commerce, mail and courier hub capable of handling 150,000 tons annually, Ethiopian Cargo continues to position itself as the critical logistics bridge between Asia, Africa and beyond.

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