China’s Hainan free trade port recently launched its first intercontinental air freight route that will link the provincial capital of Haikou with Amsterdam in Europe. On Sunday, an all-cargo flight departed from the Haikou Meilan International Airport for the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The flight was loaded with 110 tonnes of goods.
The freight route from Hainan port will build an international air cargo network that will boost trade and commerce in the region. In September, the Hainan free trade port, which is located in the Southern side of China, launched its first inter-continental shipping line. The line will link the region to Australia and other Southeast Asian countries.
The new shipping line will connect ports in China, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia, according to authorities in Hainan’s Yangpu Economic Development Zone. At present, two ships with a total of 1,740 containers have been put into operation on the route. It is reported that the Yangpu-South Pacific-Australia route will facilitate trades of products such as coconut, beef, minerals, logs and other consumer products across the region.
The pandemic’s contagion effects has brought China’s economy to a halt. Cargo throughput at major ports across China continues to recover as economic activities resume in the country.
China’s Beibu Gulf Port saw its cargo throughput increase by 21.68 percent year-on-year to reach 181.67 million tonnes during the first three quarters of 2020. When it comes to container throughput, it increased by 3.51 million TEUs in the same period, up 34.93 percent year-on-year.