SF Airlines Launches 3 New Routes, Pushing Ezhou International Cargo Routes Past 10

From October 26 to 28, 2023, SF Airlines successively launched three international cargo routes: “Ezhou-Singapore,” “Ezhou-Kuala Lumpur,” and “Ezhou-Osaka,” expanding the coverage of Ezhou's routes to Southeast Asia and East Asia, and further improving its network layout in Ezhou. On the morning of October 28, the inaugural flight of the “Ezhou-Osaka” route departed from Ezhou Huahu Airport, marking the milestone of SF Airlines launching its 10th international cargo route from Ezhou.

Since April 1 this year, SF Airlines has successively launched international cargo routes from Ezhou to destinations including Liège, Belgium; Chennai, India; Delhi, India; New York, USA; Frankfurt, Germany; Los Angeles, USA; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Osaka, Japan. The number of routes has grown from 0 to 1, from 1 to 10, gradually forming a network layout radiating from Ezhou to Europe, North America, and Asia. This has continuously attracted domestic and international cargo to be transshipped through Ezhou, while also attracting well-known domestic and international enterprises to establish operations in Ezhou. This supports the development of Ezhou Huahu Airport into an internationally leading aviation cargo hub, promotes the growth of aviation-related industries and aerotropolis economy in Ezhou, and helps establish Hubei's “air gateway to the world.”

With the rapid expansion of the route network, the cumulative domestic and international cargo volume at Ezhou Huahu Airport has now exceeded 100,000 tons, with international cargo accounting for nearly 20% of the total.

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the years, SF Airlines has actively responded to the national initiative, leveraging its air network to connect key cities along the Belt and Road into a network, and leveraging its hub advantages to form a comprehensive network. It has taken serving the “Air Silk Road” as its entry point to actively integrate into the development of global industrial and supply chains. Ezhou Huahu Airport is Asia's first specialized cargo hub airport. In supporting the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, SF Airlines has placed high importance on the development and layout of the Ezhou route. Leveraging the airport's open gateway functionality and efficient cargo services, the airline is accelerating the enhancement of operational capabilities and expanding international routes to support Ezhou in establishing a smooth international logistics corridor, thereby playing an active role in constructing a three-dimensional interconnected network for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Currently, SF Airlines has established routes to a total of 14 “Belt and Road” node cities, with cargo routes connecting 12 countries in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Among these, the Ezhou route has reached “Belt and Road” countries including Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

From October 17 to 18, SF Airlines added two more all-cargo aircraft, increasing its fleet size to 86 aircraft. These two new aircraft have been deployed on hub routes, including Ezhou. Going forward, SF Airlines will continue to leverage its fleet and network advantages, further expand its operational layout at Ezhou Huahu Airport, and steadily move toward achieving the next operational scale milestone.