A cargo plane flies over residential buildings of Yiwu, East China’s Zhejiang Province on April 27, 2026. Photo: VCG
China launched 115 new international air cargo routes in the first eight months of this year, adding 292 round-trip flights per week, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said on Thursday.
In August, 11 new international air cargo routes were added, with an increment of 34 round-trip flights per week.
During the January-August period, the newly launched routes included 57 to Asia, 41 to Europe, 13 to North America, three to Africa and one to South America.
The cargo transported on the routes mainly included cross-border e-commerce goods, high-end manufactured products, high-value-added goods, electronic products and auto parts.
The federation said the construction of China’s international air cargo network has continued to accelerate this year.
Air cargo enterprises have increased operations on African and North American routes, while Asia remained the core area for route expansion. Eurasian corridors maintained steady operations.
On August 29, Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, announced the launch of a new freighter service connecting Southwest China’s Chengdu and Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The newly launched air route opens a direct cargo link between Southwest China and the wider African continent, marking the latest expansion of air cargo connectivity between China’s rapidly growing western manufacturing hub and the African market, per Xinhua.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of the Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the continued expansion of overseas air cargo transport capacity and routes reflected the strong demand for economic and trade connections between China and the rest of the world despite rising unilateralism and protectionist headwinds.
A structural change in the layout of these cargo routes also showed that China’s logistics links with the world are being optimized, reflecting a more diversified and rational trade flow, Wang told the Global Times on Thursday.
More air routes are being opened between China and Asian countries, reflecting robust market demand between China and these countries, which have particularly strong demand for high-tech manufactured goods from China, Wang said.
The latest data from the International Air Transport Association on global air cargo markets for July 2026 showed that total global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, increased by 3.9 percent compared with a year ago. While all regions recorded growth, airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America accounted for more than 90 percent of the overall increase.
China launched a total of 214 new international air cargo routes in 2025, including 104 to Asian destinations and 83 to Europe. The country’s civil aviation sector transported 10.172 million tons of cargo and mail, up 13.3 percent year-on-year and reaching a record high, industry data showed.
