Xinhua
14 Jan 2022, 17:00 GMT+10
URUMQI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Airports in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have resumed their international cargo operations as part of efforts to stabilize global industrial and supply chains.
Diwopu International Airport in the regional capital Urumqi and Kashgar International Airport in the southern Xinjiang city of Kashgar have both restarted their international cargo charter services, the Xinjiang Airport Group said Thursday.
Xinjiang airports suspended their global cargo operations in September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When the air cargo service halted, it took us more than ten days to transport goods from Xinjiang to Pakistan. Now the delivery time is less than one day," said Wan Xiang, head of a Xinjiang-based logistics company.
The resumption of international cargo routes can help enterprises in Xinjiang, and other domestic areas, quickly enter the Asian and European markets, as well as integrate into the global supply chain system, said Nie Wenying, the marketing department head of the Xinjiang Airport Group.
The latest move will promote the export of goods and boost foreign trade, Nie added.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is casting a shadow on the global supply chain, Xinjiang, which is in the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, has become a significant international logistics hub.
Last year, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport alone handled more than 900 international cargo charter flights, carrying over 15,100 tonnes of goods.
China-Europe freight trains are also favored by more companies because of their stable operation and relatively lower costs amid the pandemic.
In 2021, Horgos Port and Alataw Pass, both major rail ports in Xinjiang, handled a total of 12,210 freight trains connecting China with European and Central Asian countries, up 21.5 percent compared to 2020, showed data from the China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd.
Get a daily dose of Asia Bulletin news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Asia Bulletin.
More InformationMADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump says the United States could soon reach a trade deal with India. He believes this deal would...