MKS sports 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/b7fb3f7c-3ac9-4263-9bbe-deaca707bde6.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)

 
In the first two months of 2025, a total of 35 new air cargo routes linking China with other markets were added, with ones to Europe accounting for the largest share at 19 routes, China Media Group reported on Wednesday, citing data from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).  
 
At least 73 round-trip flights have been added each week. The main cargo types include cross-border e-commerce goods, fresh produce, electronics and auto parts, according to the CFLP data.

As international trade dynamics evolve, cross-border e-commerce has emerged as the dominant model, with increasing demand for faster delivery times. "This is a clear indication that China's industrial upgrading is yielding tangible results, with high-tech and high-value-added products gaining broader global popularity," Li Sheng, deputy secretary of the Aviation Logistics Committee of the CFLP, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

With the shifting international trade landscape, businesses are also actively adapting their sales and distribution strategies to meet new demand. The growth in logistics infrastructure highlights Chinese businesses' ability to better align with global market needs, reinforcing China's role in the international supply chain, Li added.

Meanwhile, amid growing freight routes to Europe, Ezhou Huahu International Airport in Central China's Hubei Province - Asia's first professional cargo hub airport - in January launched routes to European destinations, including Paris, Frankfurt, Budapest and Milan, according to a post on the CFLP's official WeChat account.

These routes primarily transport products such as cross-border e-commerce goods, high-end accessories, precision instruments, electronics, light luxury clothing and red wine, the post said.
 
In addition to Ezhou, cities such as Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province and Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province are actively expanding their international air cargo networks, opening new routes to Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Debrecen in Hungary, further enhancing the air logistics channels between China and Europe, according to the post. 

"This growth in the number of air cargo routes to Europe is significant - it shows that both sides are actively seeking to strengthen trade ties," Jian Junbo, a deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

This underscores the deep interdependence between the two Chinese and European markets, as demand for Chinese products remains strong in Europe, Jian said.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China-EU bilateral trade grew by 1.6 percent in 2024.