China's first cargo airport, Ezhou Huahu Airport, in Ezhou, Central China's Hubei province has marked another development milestone as it completed its first air freight test flight on March 19, marking the country's first flight trial of a new airport using a freighter.

Shenzhen-based SF Airlines completed the test flight. The same freight operator — China's largest — is seeking to develop the airport as its main cargo hub in partnership with Hubei Province.

China's State Council said in a release that the Ezhou Huahu Airport is also Asia's first and the world's fourth "professional cargo hub airport."

The cargo and mail throughput of the new airport is expected to reach 2.45 million tonnes in 2025 while the airport was designed to accommodate passenger throughput of up to a million. 

The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) said the hub is planned for a capacity rising to 3.3 million tons by 2030.

The new airport is expected to open around the end of June this year.

Equipped with two runway and taxiway systems and a freight transfer center spanning nearly 700,000 square meters, the airport will serve as an air cargo hub and feeder airport for passenger transport.

Last January, the airport also carried out flight verification of the gateway signaling the completion of the airport.