A Belgium-bound all-cargo aircraft loaded with some 100 metric tons of freight departed Ezhou Huahu Airport in Hubei Province on April 1, which marks the opening of the first international route of China’s first cargo-focused airport.
According to Air Cargo News, this route is scheduled to provide two round-trip cargo flights each week between China and Europe, adding 400 tonnes of air express capacity, according to the aircraft’s operator SF Airlines, which now has 80 freighters.
Logistics service provider SF Express holds a 46% stake in Hubei International Logistics Airport Co., Ltd., the operator of Ezhou Huahu Airport.
Ezhou Huahu Airport began operations in July 2022. In November, the airport launched its first all-cargo domestic air route, linking Ezhou with Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province. The airport, which features a 23,000 sq m cargo terminal, a nearly 700,000 sq m freight transit centre and two runways, is expected to open 40 domestic freight routes and about four international freight routes by the end of this year.
In February, it was announced that ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business and SF Airlines would set up a commercial airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) joint venture in Hubei province.
