Han Ximin 1824295095@qq.com EARLIER this month, Shenzhen airport expanded its cargo flight services to include routes to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Frankfurt in Germany, enhancing the air logistics connections to the city’s major trade partners, as reported by the Shenzhen Transport Bureau yesterday. On July 1, a Boeing 757 cargo flight operated by SF Airlines departed from Shenzhen Airport bound for Ho Chi Minh City, marking the commencement of the airport’s plan to increase cargo flights in the latter half of the year. Five weekly flights are scheduled for this route, transporting electronic goods, parcels, and cross-border e-commerce items from Shenzhen. The return trips are primarily dedicated to transporting fresh agricultural produce like lobsters, crabs, and durian from Southeast Asian countries. China is Vietnam’s largest country of imports with a total volume of US$29.4 billion in the first quarter of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. With these new flights, the weekly outbound cargo flights from Shenzhen to Ho Chi Minh City have now reached eight, contributing to a total of nine cargo routes connecting Shenzhen airport to ASEAN countries. Collectively, there are 90 flights weekly for inbound and outbound cargo shipments amounting to 2,000 tons. On July 3, a Boeing 777 cargo flight operated by Lufthansa Cargo departed from Shenzhen airport en route to Frankfurt with a stopover. This marked the official launch of the 14th international freight route added by Shenzhen airport this year. The weekly outbound cargo flights to Frankfurt have increased to four, with a combined capacity of 400 tons. Since the beginning of the year, Shenzhen airport has attracted 13 freight airlines, including Atlas Air, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Uzbekistan Airways, to enhance their operations. Presently, there are 30 cargo airlines offering full freighter services at Shenzhen airport. Data reveals that in June, Shenzhen airport ranked second among the top 20 national airports for cargo flights, with 3,171 freight flights, following Pudong airport in Shanghai. This milestone marks the first time Shenzhen airport has handled over 3,000 cargo flights in a single month. | 