China Postal Airlines CF257, the first flight on Zhengzhou-Luxembourg route, is picking up loads.

At 9:39 a.m. on June 23 (Beijing Time), China Postal Airlines flight CF257, a Boeing 777F aircraft emblazoned with “EMS” on its vertical tail, took off from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and landed at Luxembourg Airport at 20:39. This marks the official opening of the “Zhengzhou-Luxembourg” international mail and cargo air route of China Post, and indicates that China Post’s global air hub project in Zhengzhou, which aims to “reach the world, radiate the whole country, and drive the development of the central region in China”, is entering a new phase of substantive operation.

Luxembourg is situated at the heart of Europe, adjacent to Germany, France and Belgium. With its efficient domestic transportation network, Luxembourg serves as a vital bridge for connectivity within continental Europe. Hence, Luxembourg Airport becomes a cargo logistics center and air freight hub in Europe. Meanwhile, Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is a key transportation hub in China’s central region, integrating four major port functions of air, railway, highway and river.

The “Zhengzhou-Luxembourg” route is the second intercontinental air route China Post has launched following the “Nanjing-Luxembourg” one. The opening of this route will significantly reduce the transit time of mail and cargo destined for Europe from the central region. It represents another important move China Post has made to build a secure, reliable and independently controllable international logistics supply chain system, and serve the “dual circulation” development pattern.

On June 11, 2011, China Post opened “Xi’an-Zhengzhou-Nanjing” air route, which was the first time China Post had invested in transportation capacity in Henan province, and marked that Zhengzhou began to be included into the independent “all-night flights” air distribution network of China Post. Subsequently, China Post successively launched air routes from Zhengzhou to Seoul and to Tokyo. Leveraging the advantages of Zhengzhou as a key international mail hub port in China, the newly opened “Zhengzhou-Luxembourg” air route has significantly expanded the coverage of China Post’s independent aviation network and further unleashed its potential to boost local economic development.

It is reported that the inaugural flight of the “Zhengzhou-Luxembourg” route carried cross-border e-commerce goods, medical apparatus, manufacturing parts and Europe-bound mail items, reaching saturated load capacity. When put into regular operation, the route will not only transport traditional cross-border e-commerce goods but also expand its scope to pharmaceuticals and high-end equipment. Coupled with the strong freight handling capacity of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, this route will foster a synergistic ecosystem where industries like aviation logistics, e-commerce and intelligent manufacturing will co-exist, provide higher-quality services for global supply chains, and make more contributions to the “dual circulation” of domestic and overseas markets, the rise of the central region, and the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.