Loaded with 96 tons of electronic products, apparels, wigs etc., an all cargo carrier operated by Southern Airlines recently took off from an airport in Qingdao, heading for Vancouver International Airport in Canada. In the first half of 2024, the customs at Qingdao Jiaodong Airport has monitored record gross imports and exports, which amounted to more than 63,000 tons and increased 24.2% year on year. Among them, exports gained 32.2% while imports were up 9.3%.

Qingdao accelerates its efforts to expand international air routes and increase freight transport capacity. Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport recently opened the “international express route from Qingdao to Seoul”, added the air route for international courier services to Indianapolis, restore the air route to Nha Trang, and launched the route to Kuala Lumpur, and operates 23 international (regional) freight transport routes linking Qingdao with Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.

With the extension of cargo transport routes over time, the “other Chinese cities-Qingdao-the globe” freight transport mode has appealed to transit shipment in Qingdao of a heft number of goods for cross-border e-commerce. In the first half of 2024, more than 17 millions of cross-border e-commerce orders were exported through airports in Qingdao, representing 25.7% of the total exports through Qingdao ports and surging 70.7% year on year.  (Yang Guang)