China - December 18, 2024 Chinese airlines add more outbound cargo flights to meet soaring demand (Voice_over) More outbound cargo flights are being scheduled out of China as airlines works to meet overseas demand for exports. At the Nantong Xingdong International Airport in east China's Jiangsu province, some 19 tons of goods are being prepared for a flight to South Korea's Incheon International Airport. The route was officially opened in June this year and it has been operating three times a week, since. The deputy manager of the airport explained how the country's four digit fast-track export code, 9610, has helped facilitate the number of exports this year. (Sound_bite) Zhang Zhufeng, Deputy general manager, Jiangsu Nantong Hutong Airport Logistics Development: "Sixty percent of the goods on this flight are cross-border e-commerce goods, mainly daily necessities. This year, our cross-border e-commerce cargo volume is expected to reach about 4,000 tons, and '9610' ('cross-border trade e-commerce' export model) products have increased significantly, up about 150 percent year on year." (Voice_over) Experts point out that the number of cargo flights to Southeast Asia, Central and Western Asia, Europe, and the Americas have more than doubled compared to 2019. (Sound_bite) Qi Qi, Expert, High-Quality Development Research Center, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC): "Airlines have opened new routes and deployed more transport capacity based on their estimates on market demand. By expanding international all-cargo routes, China's share of air logistics capacity has continued to increase, demonstrating its ability to independently respond to the industrial and supply chains." (Voice_over) Data shows that in November alone, 11 new international air cargo routes were opened across China, with more than 30 round-trip flights added each week. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]