The shelves at Cainiao Group Zhengzhou Bonded Park in Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone are filled with various high-quality cross-border goods, including French perfumes, Italian wines, and Hungarian daily care products. Pickers were busy packing and dispatching these items to destinations across China on May 8.
People attend Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" Forum for International Cooperation in Zhengzhou, Henan province on Nov 16, 2022. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]
"Currently, ourdaily shipping volume is around 35,000 orders. It is expected to exceed 200,000 orders after the start of the annual '6.18' online shopping festival." Liu Yang, the operation executive of Cainiao Group Zhengzhou Bonded Park said that consumers can "buy globally" by placing orders through e-commerce platforms and have their purchases delivered to their homes.
Faced with such a huge market demand, how does Henan ensure efficient and smooth logistics flow? Just outside the main gate of Cainiao Group Zhengzhou Bonded Park, separated only by a road, lies the north cargo area of Zhengzhou airport. Here, a row of security inspection machines demonstrates the area's substantial cargo handling capacity.
"These security machines are smart, capable of synchronously weighing goods and scanning QR codes. Besides, they can automatically call forklifts for cargo pickup." As the staff member from Zhengzhou airport introduced, several unmanned forklifts approached, smoothly lifting and placing the cargo on to designated shelves. He added that, "Zhengzhou airport currently operates 60 unmanned forklifts around the clock, capable of handling approximately 700 pallets of goods per hour."
Every day, more than 10 all-cargo planes arrive at Zhengzhou airport from Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other regions worldwide. After unloading and loading in the north cargo area of Zhengzhou airport, nearly 1,000 tons of cargo from across China will then fly to other countries.
Since January, propelled by the "Air Silk Road", Zhengzhou airport has been steadily expanding its global air logistics network by initiating and increasing the frequency of over 10 freight routes from Zhengzhou to destinations such as Frankfurt, Chicago, and Mexico City. As of the end of April, Zhengzhou airport has achieved a cargo throughput of 207,300 tons, marking a year-on-year increase of 14.77 percent.
To build a self-reliant supply chain, Zhengzhou airport is actively exploring the establishment of overseas cargo terminals.
In 2021, Zhengzhou airport and Budapest airport established exclusive cargo terminals at each other's facilities, marking the first overseas cargo terminal for China's civil aviation. Despite a straight-line distance of over 7,000 kilometers, the flight between the two cities takes only 10 hours.
In 2022, the Civil Aviation Administration issued the Guidelines for the Construction and Operation of Overseas Air Cargo Terminals, disseminating the experience of the Henan Airport Group's overseas cargo terminal nationwide.
"Zhengzhou airport also plans to establish overseas cargo terminals globally and is currently expediting the setup of one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia," said the staff member from Zhengzhou airport.
The bustling flow of goods reflects a vibrant and vigorous development. The expanding network of overseas connections propels Henan, located in the heart of the Central Plains, towards rapid advancement in its opening-up endeavors. (Chinese source: Henan Daily Reporter: Guo Beichen Translator: Yang Jiaxin Intern: Qiu Changqi Proofreader: Zhao Hanqing)
