MK socks central China's Hubei Province, May 25, 2024. The Ezhou Huahu Airport, an all-cargo hub airport starting operations in July 2022, is now running 48 domestic routes and 17 international routes. The airport owns a 750,000-square meter cargo transfer center with parcel sorting lines adding up to 52 kilometers, and its international throughput has exceeded 80,000 tonnes. (Photo:Xinhua)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-05-26/f85a4951-6ac3-490b-91ce-3a6583da9bac.jpeg" />

Staff members load the cargo onto an airplane at the Ezhou Huahu Airport in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, May 25, 2024. The Ezhou Huahu Airport, an all-cargo hub airport starting operations in July 2022, is now running 48 domestic routes and 17 international routes. The airport owns a 750,000-square meter cargo transfer center with parcel sorting lines adding up to 52 kilometers, and its international throughput has exceeded 80,000 tonnes. (Photo:Xinhua)

China is encouraging Chinese airlines to expand all-cargo aircraft operations, ramping up the frequency of scheduled international cargo routes, in order to expand international cargo capacity.

The plan, which was released Wednesday on the official WeChat account of Chinese Customs, is part of broader guidelines issued by the General Administration of Customs, National Immigration Administration, and Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to further facilitate customs clearance at airports.

It will expand routes connecting major international aviation hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou as well as the dedicated air cargo hub in Ezhou, Central China's Hubei Province. 

It will also encourage airlines to increase their dedicated cargo capacity, increase regular international all-cargo aircraft routes, and expand international air cargo capacity. 

Further improving the connection capabilities of international and domestic route networks and flight schedules is also highlighted as part of the plan. 

Cargo demand continued to rise. Data from CAAC showed that China handled 8.98 million tons of cargo and mail in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 22.1 percent and an increase of 19.3 percent compared with 2019.

China's air cargo growth outpaced global averages, as data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed that from January to November 2024, global cargo and mail volumes grew by 11.8 percent year-on-year, and available transportation capacity increased by 7.7 percent.

An IATA report showed that 80 percent of international e-commerce depends on air freight. A survey conducted by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said that cross-border e-commerce made up as much as 61 percent of international outbound cargo on domestic aviation logistics hub airports in the first half of 2024.

The goods exported by cross-border e-commerce primarily consist of household and personal items, including clothing, shoes and bags, wigs and beauty products, home textiles and, outdoor products which are compact, diverse, and high in variety. 

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, in the first three quarters of 2024, China's cross-border e-commerce trade reached 1.88 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.5 percent, outpacing China's overall foreign trade growth rate by 6.2 percentage points. 

The explosive development of cross-border e-commerce has significantly increased demand for cargo transportation capacity. Due to the slow recovery of international passenger flights, placing greater pressure on all-cargo aircraft capacity. 

Data released by the CAAC showed that in 2024, China's international passenger flight operations rose to 6,400 per week, reaching 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels. 

The intra-Asia trade will continue its growth, said Kawal Preet, President of FedEx Asia Pacific, in a recent statement.

In her view, Asia ranks as the second most integrated trade region globally, following the EU, hosting five of the world's 10 fastest-growing trade corridors. According to industry forecasts, intra-Asian exports will likely double what they are today. In addition, A greater share of goods will be consumed in Asia itself, rather than being exported for final assembly and consumption abroad. And, these shifts will be supported by various regional trade agreements and arrangements. 

Amid intensifying market competition, Chinese air cargo operators are steadily increasing their market presence.

In 2024, YTO Airlines deployed the domestically produced C909 aircraft for its inaugural Central Asia route. SF Airlines operated 87 freighter aircraft, Postal Airlines operated 39 freighter aircraft, while China's three major carriers, Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines, operated a combined total of 49 wide-body freighters, according to news portal caacnews.com in January, this year. 

Global Times