Guiyang-Karachi cargo flight route starts operation

Guizhou's first cargo flight route to Pakistan starts operation. [Photo by Peng Yi/Guizhou Daily]

A cargo plane carrying 6 metric tons of clothing, electronics, and other goods took off smoothly from Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport at 8:15 am on May 28. After six hours, it arrived in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, where it was filled with live crabs from Pakistan and returned to Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

This marked the opening of Guiyang's third international cargo route, further improving the flight route network of Guiyang's aviation port and providing an international air cargo channel to facilitate Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area's opening-up to South Asia, as well as countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which are important trade partners for Guiyang.

In 2023, the trade value between Guiyang and countries involved in BRI was about 30 billion yuan, accounting for 50 percent of the city's total import and export value.

The Guiyang-Karachi route is the first air route from Guizhou to Pakistan, and the first BRI international cargo route in Guizhou.

The opening of the route is expected to help Guizhou enterprises expand their presence in BRI markets and help Guiyang and Gui'an to become an international freight hub in Southwest China.

In the future, more Guizhou goods will be delivered directly to Pakistan via the route, while high-quality fresh products from Pakistan will also arrive in Guiyang in a timely manner.

In recent years, Guiyang has established the Guiyang International Land Port and realized stable operation of railway express services involving China-Europe (Asia) Railway, China-Laos Railway, Guizhou-Guangdong Railway, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

It has also opened a fast customs clearance model, enabling a streamlined process of "one declaration, one inspection, one release" for goods. Cross-border road transport routes to Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia have been opened, with the Guiyang-Hong Kong and Guiyang-Vietnam cross-border road transport routes having realized same-day delivery.

Guiyang's aviation port has completed the construction of a comprehensive designated site under customs supervision, as well as one international postal matter exchange station, one international freight center, one international express center, one customs supervision center, and one type B bonded logistics center.

It has also established stable international cargo routes to Kolkata and Delhi in India.