Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport runs 24/7 cargo operations and has no flight restrictions. The northern UK hub’s extensive road, rail, and ferry connections, make it a hub of choice for e-commerce operations seeking unrestricted services.
visit glasgowprestwick.com
Time critical aerospace components are loaded onto National Airlines’ B777F at Glasgow Prestwick Airport ahead of its record-breaking 9849 mile flight.
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GLASGOW PRESTWICK AIRPORT SUPPORTS RECORD BREAKING NATIONAL AIRLINES FLIGHT
Time critical mission from Prestwick to Melbourne marks National Airline’s longest cargo charter
Prestwick, Glasgow, United Kingdom, Thursday 6th August 2026: Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) has supported National Airlines’ in completing its longest ever cargo flight, transporting a critical aerospace component from PIK to Melbourne Airport (MEL), Australia, for a grounded aircraft.
The nearly 20-hour flight covering 9,849 miles drew on PIK’s unrestricted, round the clock operating environment, in house cargo handling capabilities, and proximity to one of the Prestwick aerospace cluster.
“Glasgow Prestwick combines unrestricted operations with experienced in house teams and direct access to an established aerospace cluster, allowing us to support complex, and time critical missions at short notice,” said Jules Matteoni, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
“Congratulations to our valued partners at National Airlines on this impressive achievement. We believe this flight is also the longest commercial cargo flight operated by B777F anywhere in the world.
“We are proud to have played our part and stand ready to support urgent charter requirements whenever speed and flexibility are required.”
The flight was operated by National Airlines using their new B777F brokered through Golden Aviation in response to an urgent aircraft on ground requirement, with the component transported directly from PIK to MEL.
“More than record setting, this historic mission further demonstrates the airline’s ability to deliver mission-critical cargo anywhere in the world, combining speed, operational excellence, and global reach,” said Alan White, Chief Growth Officer, National.
“Our flight operations, maintenance, dispatch, and ground teams are equipped to position freighter fleet within hours of a such customer enquiry and execute unique, time-critical missions with exceptional precision.
“We also extend our sincere thanks to the Glasgow Prestwick Airport team for their operational flexibility and specialist support in facilitating the movement of the AOG components and ensuring the mission was completed on schedule.”
David Giles, Director of Operations, Golden Aviation, added: “This was essentially a ‘go-now’ B777F, something that can only be pulled off with all stakeholders coming together to arrange the landing, handling, parking, processing, loading, refuelling and slots over the weekend enabling the flight to operate ASAP on the Monday with the aircraft positioning that very next morning.
“The team at Prestwick delivered a flawless operation from start to finish, ensuring the aircraft was handled efficiently and departed exactly as scheduled.
“They were a real safe pair of hands throughout, and this time-critical charter simply would not have been possible without their professionalism, responsiveness and willingness to move quickly across every aspect of the ground handling operation. A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this urgent charter a success.”
The airport sits at the centre of the Prestwick aerospace cluster, which brings together aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, and air traffic management expertise.
About Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport runs 24/7 cargo operations and has no restrictions or curfews on inbound or outbound flights, offering a fully in-house service, from cargo handling to aircraft fuelling.
Our uncongested air and ground paths mean less taxiing, less vectoring, and fewer emissions, and with no slot or gate constraints, we are a natural choice for e-commerce flights.
We average a two hour turn around for a wide-bodied freighter aircraft after arrival, and can deliver a B747 full palletised offload onto trucks to arrive in Manchester within six hours of landing.
We have over 12,000 square meters of warehouse space opening onto cargo apron, new cold storage facilities with a controlled range of -30C to +25C and our dedicated live animal team and on-site stables mean that we can welcome horses.
Our warehouse screening options, which include a new Rapiscan X-ray machine with 7.5mm steel penetration, as well as the option to work with canines, allow us to handle of all types of cargo, including seven classes of Dangerous Goods, with specialised handling for Class1, as well as oversized cargo for the oil and gas, aerospace, and live touring industries.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport boasts the longest commercial runway north of Manchester, which can accommodate the AN124, and offers direct links to the UK’s motorway network, as well as its own cargo railway siding, and easy access to nearby ferry services to Ireland.
Its west of Scotland location on the Great Circle route, between the Middle East and the USA, makes Prestwick an effective bedrock of any transportation plan.
For more information, visit glasgowprestwick.com
Latest from Glasgow Prestwick Airport
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Glasgow Prestwick Airport supports record breaking National Airlines flight
Time critical mission from Prestwick to Melbourne marks National Airline’s longest cargo charter
Prestwick, Glasgow, United Kingdom, Thursday 6th August 2026: Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) has supported National Airlines’ in completing its longest ever cargo flight, transporting a critical aerospace component from PIK to Melbourne Airport (MEL), Australia, for a grounded aircraft.
The nearly 20-hour flight covering 9,849 miles drew on PIK’s unrestricted, round the clock operating environment, in house cargo handling capabilities, and proximity to one of the Prestwick aerospace cluster.
“Glasgow Prestwick combines unrestricted operations with experienced in house teams and direct access to an established aerospace cluster, allowing us to support complex, and time critical missions at short notice,” said Jules Matteoni, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
“Congratulations to our valued partners at National Airlines on this impressive achievement. We believe this flight is also the longest commercial cargo flight operated by B777F anywhere in the world.
“We are proud to have played our part and stand ready to support urgent charter requirements whenever speed and flexibility are required.”
The flight was operated by National Airlines using their new B777F brokered through Golden Aviation in response to an urgent aircraft on ground requirement, with the component transported directly from PIK to MEL.
“More than record setting, this historic mission further demonstrates the airline’s ability to deliver mission-critical cargo anywhere in the world, combining speed, operational excellence, and global reach,” said Alan White, Chief Growth Officer, National.
“Our flight operations, maintenance, dispatch, and ground teams are equipped to position freighter fleet within hours of a such customer enquiry and execute unique, time-critical missions with exceptional precision.
“We also extend our sincere thanks to the Glasgow Prestwick Airport team for their operational flexibility and specialist support in facilitating the movement of the AOG components and ensuring the mission was completed on schedule.”
David Giles, Director of Operations, Golden Aviation, added: “This was essentially a ‘go-now’ B777F, something that can only be pulled off with all stakeholders coming together to arrange the landing, handling, parking, processing, loading, refuelling and slots over the weekend enabling the flight to operate ASAP on the Monday with the aircraft positioning that very next morning.
“The team at Prestwick delivered a flawless operation from start to finish, ensuring the aircraft was handled efficiently and departed exactly as scheduled.
“They were a real safe pair of hands throughout, and this time-critical charter simply would not have been possible without their professionalism, responsiveness and willingness to move quickly across every aspect of the ground handling operation. A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this urgent charter a success.”
The airport sits at the centre of the Prestwick aerospace cluster, which brings together aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, and air traffic management expertise.
Latest from Glasgow Prestwick Airport
About Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport runs 24/7 cargo operations and has no restrictions or curfews on inbound or outbound flights, offering a fully in-house service, from cargo handling to aircraft fuelling.
Our uncongested air and ground paths mean less taxiing, less vectoring, and fewer emissions, and with no slot or gate constraints, we are a natural choice for e-commerce flights.
We average a two hour turn around for a wide-bodied freighter aircraft after arrival, and can deliver a B747 full palletised offload onto trucks to arrive in Manchester within six hours of landing.
We have over 12,000 square meters of warehouse space opening onto cargo apron, new cold storage facilities with a controlled range of -30C to +25C and our dedicated live animal team and on-site stables mean that we can welcome horses.
Our warehouse screening options, which include a new Rapiscan X-ray machine with 7.5mm steel penetration, as well as the option to work with canines, allow us to handle of all types of cargo, including seven classes of Dangerous Goods, with specialised handling for Class1, as well as oversized cargo for the oil and gas, aerospace, and live touring industries.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport boasts the longest commercial runway north of Manchester, which can accommodate the AN124, and offers direct links to the UK’s motorway network, as well as its own cargo railway siding, and easy access to nearby ferry services to Ireland.
Its west of Scotland location on the Great Circle route, between the Middle East and the USA, makes Prestwick an effective bedrock of any transportation plan.
For more information, visit glasgowprestwick.com