June 23, 2016: Cargolux, Europe’s leading all-cargo airline, sees cargo volume between its Luxembourg and Zhengzhou hubs surpass 100,000 tonnes, just eight months after the carrier announced hitting the 50,000-tonne mark last October. The carrier commenced flights between these two hubs before two years.

Dirk Reich, President and CEO, Cargolux, “We are proud to have established a highly successful cooperation with our Chinese partners in such a short time.”

“With the help of Henan Civil Aviation and Investment Company (HNCA), we have been able to build a substantial presence in one of the world’s most important markets. Linking Zhengzhou to Chicago and beyond offers unique opportunities for shippers and manufacturers on both sides of the Pacific.”

Over the past two years, Cargolux and HNCA have worked closely to establish Zhengzhou Xingzheng International Airport as a key hub in accordance with Cargolux’s ‘Dual Hub Development Strategy’.

In April 2015, Cargolux together with HNCA, extended the dual hub with the unveiling of ‘LuxFresh,’ an e-commerce platform bringing competitively-priced delicatessen, sourced from Luxembourg and elsewhere in Europe, directly to consumers in Henan.

Cargolux now operates seven flights per week between Zhengzhou and Luxembourg’s Findel Airport in addition to several weekly flights to and from Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Chicago.

The carrier operates a total of over 100 weekly flights into Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taipei from destinations around the world.

In January earlier this year, Cargolux Group finalised a shareholder agreement and approved a $77 million investment for a new cargo joint venture (JV) with HNCA.

Zhengzhou-based Cargolux China is on track to be fully operational by late 2017, pending completion of all formalities with the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC). The venture will initially launch with three 747 aircraft, with plans to expand to five within the following three years, in addition to the parent carrier’s 24 freight fleet based in Europe.

Cargolux China will initially focus on transpacific routes between China and the US, which will account for an estimated 80 percent of all business.

The remainder of the venture’s focus will be on intra-Asian routes, though Cargolux China aims to secure additional routes to Africa, Oceania and Latin America in the future. In addition to strengthening Cargolux’s presence in the Asia Pacific region, the joint venture will play a fundamental role in further increasing the Cargolux group of companies’ global market share.

With 30 airlines connecting to 98 different national and international cities, Zhengzhou's Xinzheng International Airport is one of China's fastest-growing and most important aviation hubs. Between 2010 and 2015, cargo volume from Xinzheng International increased from 85,800 to 403,000 metric tonnes, growing by 40 percent yearly on average making it the eighth-ranked air cargo hub in China.

Cargolux offers fast, scheduled road feeder services to 20 Chinese cities, linking Zhengzhou with major industrial and business centers throughout the country.

Our Correspondent

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