This photo taken at wee hours of Aug. 16, 2023 shows the launch ceremony for SF Airlines' first cargo route connecting Ezhou Huahu Airport with the Middle East at Ezhou Huahu Airport in Ezhou City, central China's Hubei Province. (SF Airlines/Handout via Xinhua)
WUHAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A new air cargo route was launched on Wednesday linking Ezhou City in central China's Hubei Province, with Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced SF Airlines.
Early Wednesday morning, 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.
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. It 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 carried a total sum of around 14,000 tonnes of international air cargo to and from this airport.
It is making efforts to expand the international air-route network from the Chinese cargo-focused airport, said the cargo airline.
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, the company added.
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