The Scottish airport had plenty of reasons to celebrate as it flagged the key flights milestone, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell.

And the SNP's Stephen Flynn will be in the spotlight.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the first direct scheduled cargo route between Scotland and China.

And Prestwick Airport had plenty of reasons to celebrate as it highlighted this milestone.

It has been quite the year for the airport, which has been owned by the Scottish Government since it was rescued in 2013 with a £1 purchase from former owner Infratil of New Zealand.

Prestwick Airport chief executive Ian Forgie said last Tuesday: “China Southern Air Logistics’ first year at Prestwick has shown the value of direct, reliable cargo links between Scotland and China.

“The service has supported faster and more resilient routes for e-commerce and high-value Scottish exports, while helping us create local jobs, invest in specialist handling, and build a thriving hub for UK trade with one of the world’s largest logistics markets.”

That sounds like a fair enough assessment of the situation.

Prestwick Airport noted it has expanded its scheduled cargo network over the year since the launch by China Southern of its flights between Guangzhou and Prestwick last May at a frequency of four per week.

The airport flagged the launch of services to and from Prestwick Airport by Air China Cargo and Ethiopian Airlines.

It noted Air China Cargo has increased its Prestwick-Chengdu service to daily flights.

Ethiopian Airlines........

© Herald Scotland