Shenzhen has launched chartered air-freight service to Hong Kong from March 19 in a bid to meet transport demand to the financial hub as Covid-19 restrictions put pressure on overland transport.

State-owned Xinhua said a Boeing 767 freighter operated by Shenzhen-based SF Airlines left Shenzhen for its neighbor Hong Kong, carrying 45 tonnes of goods, including donated anti-pandemic materials and also export goods from local businesses.

From then on, the freighter will fly six times a week to Hong Kong, with the chartered service initially planned to last until early April.

"The air-freight service was launched after the cross-border truck-freight capacity between Shenzhen and Hong Kong was reduced due to Covid-19," the report said.

It added that the flights will also help guarantee the transport of anti-pandemic materials for Hong Kong, as well as meet the transport demands of enterprises in Shenzhen and neighboring regions, safeguarding the stability of the supply chain.

Shenzhen already earlier launched three express shipping routes, as well as freight-train transport, to ensure the supply of materials to Hong Kong.

Just last week, Shenzhen was placed under a week-long lockdown as part of China's zero-Covid policy further putting pressure on cross-border trucking capacity.