The Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" Forum for International Cooperation, China's first national-level forum themed on the "Air Silk Road" and the grandest forum ever hosted in Central China's Henan province, opens today (November 16).
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During a meeting with Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on June 14, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China supports building an Air Silk Road between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou. On February 6, 2022, President Xi once again stressed the importance of expanding and strengthening the Air Silk Road during his meeting with Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.
A cargo plane of Cargolux in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]
Over the past 5 years, Henan has basically formed a hub-and-spoke airline network taking Zhengzhou as the core and covering major economies in the world by further expanding the coverage of the "Air Silk Road" and taking the advantages of the two freight hubs -- Zhengzhou and Luxembourg. So far, the "Air Silk Road" has become a highlight of Henan's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Cargo planes of Cargolux in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]
Cargo transported on the "Air Silk Road" has expanded from the traditional light industrial products only to over 200 kinds of more than 10 categories covering precision instruments, live animals, etc., such as French ponies, Dutch fresh-cut flowers and Danish salmon. Now, Cargolux in Zhengzhou regularly operates 8 intercontinental cargo routes covering over 100 cities in 24 countries in Europe, America and Asia. The weekly flights in Zhengzhou have been increased from 2 to 14 (29 during the peak season), exceeding the total of Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen. So far, Cargolux has operated over 5,500 flights in Zhengzhou. Of Zhengzhou airport's total international cargo volume, over 930 thousand tons were contributed by Cargolux. Powered by the Air Silk Road, Zhengzhou airport has become one of the world's top 40 airports in terms of air cargo capacity.
A cargo plane of Silk Way Airlines in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]
It is worth noting that the "Air Silk Road" has never been suspended even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Batches of medical supplies have been transported via this route. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel praised the "Air Silk Road" as a vital lifeline for the world as a bridge in the air during the pandemic. (Chinese source: dahe.cn Translator: Zhao Hanqing Yang Jiaxin Video: He Menghe Poster: Zhang Guzhen Proofreader: Chen Xingjie)
