It was great to see the buoyancy of Prestwick Airport’s latest numbers, for the year to March 31, when they were published last Monday.

And those who opposed the Scottish Government’s rescue of the airport in 2013, through a £1 purchase from previous owner Infratil of New Zealand, might want to reflect not only on the latest rise in profits but also on the employment provided by this key strategic asset.

Prestwick Airport’s workforce has risen to more than 500, new chief executive Jules Matteoni noted as the financial results were published.

And then of course there are all the jobs provided by a raft of major players in the aerospace cluster in and around the airport.

Cargo has been a key driver of Prestwick Airport’s success, with stellar growth in this division since last year.

This has been rightly described by the airport’s management as “transformational”. And the airport expects to reap further rewards from its great success in securing key cargo flights.

It is also worth bearing in mind that Prestwick Airport has now delivered seven consecutive years of profit.

Prestwick Airport now has 15 cargo flights per week both from and to mainland China, with e-commerce goods bought by UK and Irish consumers on the likes of the Temu, Shein and TikTok platforms on the inbound flights, and salmon and other seafood and Scotch whisky being transported on the return legs.

The cargo flights between Prestwick Airport and mainland China are operated by major players Air China Cargo and China Southern Air Logistics.

In addition to this, Ethiopian Airlines recently launched three cargo flights per week between Hong Kong and Prestwick.

I visited Prestwick Airport last month and the e-commerce........

© Herald Scotland