Britain’s flag carrier to use GPA
Infratil Airports Europe is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with British Airways World Cargo (BAWC) to operate scheduled freighter services through Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
The deal means that the award-winning BAWC – which connects 200 destinations in more than 80 countries - will join some of the world’s other leading cargo airlines who already use Scotland’s main freight hub.
Boeing 747 freighter aircraft will depart Prestwick for three of the world’s busiest airports – Atlanta International, Chicago’s O’Hare International and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Under the agreed flight schedule, Glasgow Prestwick will handle three movements (inbound and outbound) per week with aircraft stopping en route from Frankfurt to the US.
The operation, which begins on Wednesday October 11, will be run by British Airways Regional Cargo (BARC), who manage all BA’s cargo operations at locations in the UK and Ireland outwith their hubs at Heathrow and Gatwick.
The new services will increase the speed at which manufacturers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the north of England can hit the North American market.
The oil well business out of Aberdeen, destined for Houston in particular, will make up a significant proportion of the BAWC’s cargo, along with Rolls Royce aeronautical engineering equipment out of Belfast which is destined for Canada.
Nico Leroux, Glasgow Prestwick’s Freight Manager, said: “This is great news. It shows how highly Glasgow Prestwick is regarded within the air cargo industry that Britain’s flag carrier has agreed to operate these scheduled services.
“We are confident that with the airport’s ideal location, and the excellent freight handling capability of my team here, these services will be a great success and Glasgow Prestwick will go from strength to strength as a specialist UK freight airport.”
Chris Bosworth, BAWC’s General Manager Commercial Development, added: “Heavy goods manufacturing now makes up a significant proportion of our customers' exports from the area and we've worked closely with them to develop this new route which gives them greater flexibility in terms of later cut off times.
Posted: 11-Oct-06
