A cargo plane takes off from Xiamen airport. [Photo/Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport]
According to the Xiamen Transportation Bureau, in the first quarter of 2024, air passenger traffic is growing rapidly and air cargo volume has reached a five-year high.
In January, the Xiamen to Paris route was opened, followed by the Xiamen to Manila route in February, and the Xiamen to Ho Chi Minh city route in March. Over three consecutive months, Xiamen has launched several cross-border cargo routes, effectively catering to the air transport needs of high-tech industries, cross-border e-commerce, and fresh cold chain sectors, driving a steady increase in the volume of airport cargo business.
Data indicates that the cumulative cargo throughput in the first quarter reached 87,700 metric tons, a 30.4 percent year-on-year increase. This is not only 17 percent more than in 2019 levels but also a five-year high.
The volume of overseas cargo throughput reached 51,000 tons, a 48.1 percent year-on-year increase and 88 percent more than in 2019.
The rapid growth of Xiamen's air cargo volume, especially in overseas cargo volume, further highlights the pivotal role of Xiamen Airport as an aviation hub.
Xiamen Airport has established a diversified air cargo transportation system and built a route network connecting five continents, providing efficient air cargo services to stabilize and facilitate the development of global industrial and supply chains.
Additionally, Xiamen has effectively utilized policies supporting cross-border air cargo transportation, encouraging more enterprises to establish new routes, further enhancing the coverage and cargo throughput of the city's intercontinental cargo transportation route network. Building on the first quarter's route expansions, new routes have been added from Xiamen to Ontario, the US, and from Xiamen to Dallas, the US.