SF Airlines has launched a new air cargo route between Ezhou City in central China's Hubei Province and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On August 16, a Boeing 747-400 freighter took off from Ezhou Huahu Airport, China's first cargo-focused airport.
This marked the launch of the first cargo route connecting the airport with the Middle East, said SF Airlines, China's largest air cargo carrier in fleet size.
State media reported that a weekly round-trip air cargo service is scheduled for this route, with a total of around 200 tonnes of air express capacity.
The new route will mainly handle general cargo, e-commerce goods, and express shipments, providing efficient and reliable air logistics between China and the UAE, according to the cargo airline.
Prior to this route, SF Airlines and the UAE's Etihad Airways had jointly launched the Wuhan-Abu Dhabi air cargo route, a move to boost air logistics between the capital of central China's Hubei Province and the capital of the UAE and nearby markets.
The Ezhou Huahu Airport was put into operation in July 2022 and is positioned as a cargo-focused hub airport with extensive cargo traffic and some passenger traffic. It opened the first international cargo route in April.
Headquartered in Shenzhen, SF Airlines is the aviation branch of China's leading courier enterprise SF Express. It operates a fleet of 84 freighters, connecting more than 90 destinations at home and globally.
To date, the cargo airline has launched multiple international cargo routes connecting the Ezhou Huahu Airport with Belgium, India, the United States, Germany and the UAE.
It has also carried a total sum of around 14,000 tonnes of international air cargo to and from this airport.
Xinhua noted that SF Airlines is expanding its international air route network from Ezhou Huahu Airport.
"SF Airlines will continuously push forward its operations at the Ezhou Huahu Airport and support the airport in creating a world-class air cargo hub," SF Airlines said, according to Chinese state media.
