SF Airlines Marks 13 Years of Safe Operations

On December 31, 2022, SF Airlines successfully completed its annual air transport operations while marking thirteen years of safe operations. Throughout this year of economic and pandemic challenges, the carrier adhered to "healthy operations and steady development" principles, achieving over 100,000 safe flight hours and transporting nearly 900,000 tons of cargo.

Global Expansion Through Steady Progress

Maintaining its fleet advantage as core competitiveness, SF Airlines added nine freighters in 2022, expanding its fleet to 77 aircraft with increased wide-body proportion. Responding to market demands, it launched new destinations including Xining, Dunhuang, Ezhou, Baotou, Lahore and New York, now serving over 90 domestic and international destinations to strengthen its "China-focused, Asia-radiating, Euro-America-extending" cargo network.

To enhance international capabilities, SF Airlines optimized Southeast Asia and North America routes while inaugurating over 10 new international routes including "Shenzhen-Tokyo", "Ningbo-Osaka", "Chengdu-Lahore", "Hefei-Anchorage-Huntsville" and "Hangzhou-Anchorage-New York". From January to November, its international cargo volume grew over 20% year-on-year, strongly supporting Chinese brands' global expansion and dual-circulation development.

Building Future Hub Through Innovation

July 2022 witnessed the operational launch of Ezhou Huahu Airport - China's first professional cargo hub airport. Serving as both an economic catalyst and SF Airlines' future operational center for globalization, the carrier completed verification flights and initiated supporting facilities construction including its Ezhou base and training center, while preparing aviation talent for future hub operations.

The November 27 launch of "Ezhou-Shenzhen" marked the airport's inaugural cargo route, followed by December's "Ezhou-Shanghai" route. This initiated the practical construction of a hub-and-spoke network centered on Ezhou with regional hubs in Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Beijing and Chengdu, laying the foundation for future air cargo gateway services and industrial development.

Proactive Social Responsibility

Amid 2022's sporadic pandemic outbreaks challenging supply chains, SF Airlines leveraged its fleet and network advantages to ensure critical transport tasks. From March, it established anti-epidemic supply routes to Changchun, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Lhasa and Urumqi, including the innovative "Shenzhen-Hong Kong" air corridor that operated for months to support Hong Kong's pandemic response. August saw two high-plateau routes ("Wuhan-Lhasa" and "Chengdu-Lhasa") created for Tibet-bound supplies. Annual pandemic-related shipments exceeded 6,000 tons.

While ensuring operational and epidemic safety, SF Airlines expanded its business scale in 2022, continuously fulfilling its role as aviation logistics backbone to support economic and social stability.

As China's 14th Five-Year Plan for Air Logistics Development emphasizes, "advancing air logistics is crucial for strengthening domestic markets, international cooperation, supply chain security and national strategies." In 2023, SF Airlines' fleet will surpass 80 aircraft, leveraging cargo hubs to enhance domestic and international networks while strengthening supply chain service capabilities and emergency response - providing sustained support for quality living standards, high-quality economic development and global cooperation.