STORY: China's "Air Silk Road" connects world
DATELINE: Aug. 11, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:40
LOCATION: ZHENGZHOU, China/Brussels
CATEGORY: ECONOMY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN PENGCHAO, Operation director of Cargolux Zhengzhou Station
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN PENGCHAO, Operation director of Cargolux Zhengzhou Station
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): SHANG LIANG, CEO of Guangzhou Langtian Supply Chain Company
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICHARD FORSON, President and CEO of Cargolux
5. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): CLAUDE ZEHREN, Executive vice president for flight operations of Cargolux
6. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): RICHARD FORSON, President and CEO of Cargolux
 
STORYLINE:
 
At 3:51 a.m., a cargo flight of Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International (or Cargolux Airlines) landed at the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN PENGCHAO, Operation director of Cargolux Zhengzhou Station
"This flight directly flew from Luxembourg to Zhengzhou. In two and a half hours, it is planned to unload 110 tonnes and load 130 tonnes of cargo. Please take care during the operation."
 
Working at 2 a.m. every day is a norm for Chen and his colleagues.
 
The Zhengzhou-Luxembourg international freight route was launched in 2014 after Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co., Ltd. acquired a 35-percent stake in Cargolux Airlines International, which operates the biggest all-cargo airline in Europe.
 
This air freight service currently operates in 15 cities, including London, Chicago, and Milan, connecting Europe, Asia and the United States, with Zhengzhou at its core.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN PENGCHAO, Operation director of Cargolux Zhengzhou Station
"It is 4 a.m. and everything is going smoothly with flight CV4481. I have been working at the Zhengzhou station of Cargolux for nine years, during which, I have witnessed more flights flying between Zhengzhou and Luxembourg, with the 'Air Silk Road' connecting more places."
 
In the early morning, flight CV4481 departs for Chicago fully loaded.
 
Thanks to the stable and smooth operation of the "Air Silk Road" between Zhengzhou and Luxembourg, more Chinese e-commerce companies choose to send their products to customers overseas from here.
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): SHANG LIANG, CEO of Guangzhou Langtian Supply Chain Company
"Our company has in-depth cooperation with Cargolux. As cross-border e-commerce is flourishing, we have booked more cargo shipping space this year with Cargolux. The goods arrive in Zhengzhou from across the country and then are sent to Europe for customs clearance through Cargolux. The whole process only takes about three days."
 
Cargolux Airlines has by far set up 19 stations in Asia, of which the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg route covers eight stations. The Asia-Pacific market is an important driver for Cargolux's business.
 
In June, President and CEO of Cargolux Airlines Richard Forson held a meeting of professional managers of Cargolux (Asia Pacific). 
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RICHARD FORSON, President and CEO of Cargolux
"It (Zhengzhou) played a very important role during the COVID pandemic in allowing supplies to be flown from China to Europe and to the rest of the world as well. So it is a very important hub in our global network."
 
SOUNDBITE 5 (English): CLAUDE ZEHREN, Executive vice president for flight operations of Cargolux
"I think China's Belt and Road Initiative is a global logistics strategy, development strategy to connect China with hundreds of cities around the world. It's a resuscitation of the old Silk Road that existed."
 
Last year, the International Civil Aviation Organization member states adopted a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050.
 
To follow the goal, the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg freight flights of Cargolux started to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) provided by China National Aviation Fuel Group Corporation (CNAF) in June.
 
SOUNDBITE 6 (English): RICHARD FORSON, President and CEO of Cargolux
"We are looking forward to seeing what progress we can make with our suppliers of fuel in China, in order to reach our goal of ultimately being carbon neutral as an airline by 2050."
 
As low-carbon alternatives to traditional jet fuels, sustainable aviation fuels are made up of a range of feedstocks, including animal fats, oils, waste crops, biomass, and more.
 
SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): MENG XIAOCHAO, Staff member with CNAF's Henan branch
"Some raw materials of SAF come from vegetable oils extracted from 'gutter oil.' CNAF has provided SAF to foreign flights in Zhengzhou for cross-border flights. We are also working on improving our SAF support capacity."
 
SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): ZHANG MINGCHAO, Chairman of Henan Civil Aviation Development & Investment Co., Ltd. (HNCA)
"HNCA will look to cooperate with financial institutions of Luxembourg, such as issuing green bonds, to increase our investment in the industry through green finance. We will also step up cooperation in clean energy and support the research and development of SAF to actively participate in SAF's application in the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg 'Air Silk Road'."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from ZHENGZHOU, China/Brussels.
(XHTV)