A Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, operated by K-Mile Air of Thailand, departed Bangkok and landed at Zhangjiajie airport on the evening of November 23.

The aircraft was loaded with 16 tonnes of fresh durian, pomelo, and frozen grouper from Southeast Asia. The completion of this flight marked the official resumption of Zhangjiajie airport's international air freight route after a three-year suspension.

As the only airport authorized to handle imported frozen aquatic products, fresh fruits, and edible aquatic animals in the Wuling Mountain, Zhangjiajie airport has presented remarkable advantages in resuming the route. Compared with belly cargo airfreight, the all-cargo aircraft features stronger loading capacity and lower cost, and can shorten the transportation time by more than five hours compared to other ports.

This air freight route was suspended in 2022 due to market conditions. Upon resumption, the return flight will carry cross-border e-commercial goods to Southeast Asia, providing two-way trade. 

To ensure efficient customs clearance of the fresh goods, the Zhangjiajie Customs Authority designated a special team to contact the airport, freight operators, and airlines prior to the customs operations. They provided custom-tailored solutions that adapt to the demands of fresh goods, and carried out "24-7" appointment-based clearance service.

Before 10 o'clock that evening, the first batch of the imported fresh goods had completed the customs processes, to be delivered to Hunan, Hubei, and other markets.

"Direct air freight route can effectively ensure freshness of the imported goods while controlling the cost," said the manager of the import company. The resumption of the route will further enhance the trade corridor connecting northwest Hunan with Southeast Asia, boosting the export-oriented economy development in the regions.