SF Airlines Launches First Fifth Freedom Cargo Route "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou"

On May 25, 2025, SF Airlines' international cargo route "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou" officially commenced operations. This marks SF Airlines' first international route reaching Canada, its first route utilizing Fifth Freedom traffic rights, and the 100th cargo route launched since Ezhou Huahu Airport opened as an international airport. This route seamlessly connects major aviation hubs in China, the US, and Canada, injecting new momentum into regional economic and trade exchanges and the interconnectivity of the global logistics market.

The "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou" route is operated by B747-400 all-cargo freighter aircraft with a maximum payload capacity of 110 tons, scheduled to run 1-2 flights per week. Export cargo primarily includes apparel and accessories, electronics, machinery, electronics, and parts, while import cargo mainly consists of machinery and equipment, parts, footwear and apparel, health products, and live seafood.

Leveraging the transport rights granted by the Fifth Freedom – defined as "the right of an airline from one country to carry revenue traffic between two other countries while operating a service that originates or terminates in its home country" – the "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou" route allows for loading and unloading operations at both New York, USA, and Halifax, Canada. This means SF Airlines can not only transport export cargo from across China (consolidated via Ezhou) directly to both New York and Halifax in a single flight, but also bring back export cargo from New York and Halifax bound for China on the return leg. Additionally, it can provide transport services mid-route for cargo shipped from New York to Halifax. The Fifth Freedom is hailed by the industry as the "richest and most economically substantive" traffic right. The launch of the "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou" route represents a new starting point for SF Airlines to utilize the Fifth Freedom, optimizing its route network, expanding into international markets, and serving global customers, leveraging the cargo gateway function of Ezhou Huahu International Airport – Asia's largest dedicated cargo hub airport.

In 2022, SF Airlines expanded its international operations to New York. In recent years, it has successively launched cargo routes from Hangzhou and Ezhou to New York, continuously broadening the air logistics corridor from China to North America. This has laid a solid operational foundation for the launch of the "Ezhou-New York-Halifax-Ezhou" route.

Halifax is renowned as the "Global Lobster Hub," with over 50% of the world's Atlantic hard-shell lobster originating from Nova Scotia, where Halifax is located. China is a vital consumer market for Halifax seafood. Following the launch of the new route, it will provide over 100 tons of weekly air freight capacity for exporting live seafood (such as Boston lobster and Dungeness crab) from Halifax and even across Canada to China. Upon arrival in Ezhou, the live seafood can connect to SF Airlines' domestic routes or ground cold-chain trunk lines via "air-to-air transshipment" or "road-to-air transshipment" modes, rapidly distributing it to consumer markets nationwide. It is estimated that live seafood departing from Halifax can reach consumer markets in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen within as little as 48 hours, completing cross-border flight, hub transfer, and domestic interline transport. This high-speed transportation, combined with temperature-controlled oxygenated water tanks and vacuum packaging technology, maximizes the survival rate of the live seafood, meeting the quality demands of Chinese consumers for imported fresh produce.

In March of this year, SF Airlines' operational all-cargo fleet surpassed 90 aircraft, leading Asia in terms of capacity scale. Its cargo route network, characterized by "comprehensive domestic coverage and seamless international reach," continues to improve. Moving forward, while deepening its presence in the domestic market, SF Airlines will continue to tap into the radiating potential of the Ezhou hub. It aims to accelerate the enhancement of its international operations, expand international routes, and densify its international network. This strategy aims to provide more competitive air logistics services that integrate with international logistics supply chains and industrial chains, better serving the new development paradigm of dual circulation – both domestic and international.