(Yicai) April 2 -- The Ezhou Huahu International Airport, a specialized cargo airport in China’s central Hubei province, has opened regular air cargo routes to Italy and Brazil.

Italy’s Società Aerea Mediterranea became the 20th international cargo airline to operate at Huahu Airport as one of its Boeing 777landed in the Chinese city yesterday after departing from Brescia.

Four flights per week will be operated along the Ezhou-Brescia route, transporting Chinese cross-border e-commerce goods and industrial products to Italy and high-value-added products, including fashion luxury goods, personal care and beauty products, high-end mechanical components, automotive parts, and precision instruments to China.

The first flight from Ezhou to São Paulo, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, departed from Huahu Airport on March 31, adding to the other intercontinental route between the city and South America, after the one connecting it with Santiago, Chile.

The Ezhou-São Paulo route will run three times a week and will mainly import fresh goods, such as salmon and fruits, from South America to China.

The new routes have formed efficient logistics channels between Central China and Western Europe and South America, Huahu Airport noted. They will also support the operation of cross-border e-commerce and the supply chains of high-end manufacturing industries, as well as facilitate the faster entry of European high-end consumer goods and precision industrial products into China, the airport added.

Founded by Chinese logistics giant SF Holding, Huahu Airport began operations in 2022, becoming the first specialized cargo airport in Asia. Its cargo and mail throughput expanded 44 percent to 1.5 million tons last year from 2024, official data said.

The airport has added six international cargo routes so far this year. Besides Brescia and São Paulo, the others connect Ezhou to Athens, Riyadh, Malabo, and Brussels. Moreover, it has increased the frequency of international routes to Los Angeles, East Midlands, and Chicago.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione