At about 2 a.m. on March 18, 2025, a fully loaded freighter took off from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and flew to Liege, Belgium. Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines officially opened the Zhengzhou-Liege cargo route. This is the second intercontinental route independently operated by Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines, building another efficient and convenient air channel for economic and trade exchanges between Henan and Europe.
It is reported that the route is operated by a B747-400 freighter with a one-way cargo capacity of up to 95 tons, mainly transporting high-value-added products such as cross-border e-commerce goods. As an essential cargo distribution center in Europe, Liege radiates to economic hinterlands such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands, and forms a strategic complement to Zhengzhou's hub function as China's inland open highland and international air logistics center. The dual hub linkage will achieve 24-hour access to major urban circles in China and Europe, and the transportation time efficiency of high-value-added commodities such as cross-border e-commerce goods, precision instruments, and fresh cold chain will be increased by more than 40%, effectively improving the efficiency of market circulation. The opening of the route will expand the coverage of the "Air Silk Road", further enhance the global distribution capacity of the Zhengzhou hub, strengthen the connection between Zhengzhou and the core logistics hubs in Europe, and build a more efficient and convenient air bridge for China-Europe economic and trade cooperation.
The Zhengzhou = Liege route is an important step for Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines to lay out its international cargo network. Since the beginning of the year, Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines has conscientiously implemented the decisions and deployments of the provincial party committee, provincial government, and group, seized opportunities, took advantage of the momentum, and made every effort to fight for the first quarter. As of March 16, it has completed 31,000 tons of cargo, a year-on-year increase of 49%, laying a good foundation for completing various work goals throughout the year. In the next step, Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines will take the opening of this route as an opportunity to further leverage the advantages of a local state-owned aviation company, establish a "test-taking awareness", strengthen the spirit of competition, focus on the "four highs and four firsts", accelerate the layout of the international route network, and improve operational quality and service levels. It will help Henan integrate into the global industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain, run the "first leg" with all its strength, ensure "all-year red" with a "good start" in the first quarter, and contribute to the efforts to write a chapter of Chinese-style modernization in Henan.