On December 21, as a full freighter of Malaysia Raya Airways touched down smoothly, Zhengzhou Airport's annual cargo and mail throughput officially surpassed 1 million tonnes. This not only set a new all-time high since the airport's opening but also marked its formal entry into the global "1-Million-Tonne Club" for air cargo.
"In the field of air cargo, cargo and mail throughput is a key indicator of an airport's freight operation scale and vitality, with the 1-million-tonne mark widely recognized as the 'entry ticket' to world-class hubs." an official from Zhengzhou Airport noted. This milestone not only underscores the robust growth momentum of the core hub along the Air Silk Road but also signifies that Zhengzhou Airport has advanced from a major logistics node to a new stage of developing into a large-scale, networked global air cargo hub.
Since the start of this year, acting in accordance with the strategic plans laid out by the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Henan Province, China Henan Aviation Group has stepped up efforts to expand the Air Silk Road and boost its efficiency. It has also actively replicated and scaled up the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "dual-hub" model. To date, 36 all-cargo airlines are operating in Zhengzhou, including 8 of the world's top 10 freight carriers that have established a presence at Zhengzhou Airport. A total of 70 all-cargo routes have been launched, with the airport's daily handled freighter movements and average daily cargo throughput surging by 23.6% and 25.4% year-on-year, respectively.
The growth rate of cross-border e-commerce and fresh cold-chain cargo volume has been particularly impressive. In the first 11 months, the cross-border e-commerce cargo volume handled by Zhengzhou Airport surged by 98% year-on-year, accounting for half of the international export cargo volume. The import volume of fresh cold-chain products such as durians from Southeast Asia and salmon from Northern Europe soared by 208.7% year-on-year, making Zhengzhou an important distribution center for fresh products in central China.
"Fresh durians from Malaysia can clear customs in just 30 minutes after being harvested from orchards and shipped to Zhengzhou, and be delivered to markets nationwide within 36 hours — a feat made possible by the successful air logistics cooperation model between Zhengzhou and Kuala Lumpur," said Dato' Sufian, Chairman of the Malaysian Durian Trade & Export Centre (MADTEC). Currently, Malaysia's durian exports to China account for just 5% of its total production, and this proportion has been steadily rising since the issuance of the China-Malaysia Joint Statement.
The hub's take-off would not be possible without the drive of its "main engine." This year, Cargolux has operated nearly 1,000 flights on its Zhengzhou-based routes, delivering over 130,000 tonnes of cargo. Meanwhile, Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines — Zhengzhou's homegrown base cargo carrier — has seen robust growth. As of late November, its cargo volume at Zhengzhou Airport reached 148,400 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 23%. It edged past Cargolux for the first time to claim the top spot as the airport's largest cargo contributor.
With its growing momentum, Zhengzhou Airport facilitates the rapid distribution of domestic goods to global markets while enabling the efficient aggregation and dispersion of international cargo in Zhengzhou. It serves as a robust pillar for building a circulation hub of the national unified large market and a fulcrum for the domestic and international dual circulation, providing strong impetus for high-quality development.
"Standing at a new starting point, we will further expand and consolidate the Air Silk Road by breaking bottlenecks, enhancing connectivity, fortifying hubs, boosting momentum, and elevating its grade and capacity." said Zhang Mingchao, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Henan Aviation Group. "We will strive to upgrade the air logistics corridor into a high-level opening-up platform that integrates trade, aggregates industries, and fosters cultural exchanges, contributing more aviation power to the sustained expansion of domestic and international opening-up." (Reporters: Guo Beichen, Shen Jianqi and Tong Lin Translator: Hong Jianyuan and Li Mengkai English Proofreader: Jiao Dan)
