Cargo is loaded onto a freighter at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has expanded its air cargo network with more frequent freighter services to Seoul, further strengthening the city's role as an aviation logistics gateway between Shandong province and Northeast Asia.

On Sept 10, flight GI4219, operated by Central Airlines, departed Qingdao for Incheon International Airport in the Republic of South Korea, marking an increase in frequency on for the regular Qingdao-Seoul cargo route.

Using Boeing 737-800 freighters, the service is scheduled to operate four to six flights a week. The additional capacity is expected to better serve Qingdao's export-oriented industries, including cross-border e-commerce, textiles, precision electronic components and machinery parts.

For inbound cargo, faster airport handling will help chilled seafood from the Republic of Korea reach Qingdao and nearby markets on the day of arrival, shortening cold-chain transit times. Outbound services will provide faster shipping options for small-volume, time-sensitive orders from local manufacturers and e-commerce companies.

Qingdao airport is also expanding its domestic cargo network. Flights between Qingdao and Zhengzhou have increased from once a week to four to six times weekly, creating a Zhengzhou-Qingdao-Seoul air freight corridor linking Central China with the Republic of Korea.

A new Qingdao-Hefei cargo service is scheduled to launch on Sept 12, further connecting industrial and e-commerce hubs in Shandong and Anhui provinces.

With the Seoul route expansion, Qingdao will operate more than 10 scheduled cargo flights to the Republic of Korea each week, enhancing logistics support for fresh produce, e-commerce shipments and manufactured goods.