Xinjiang launches first direct air cargo route to Baltic Sea area

A flight carrying 51 tonnes of e-commerce goods departed from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and arrived in Tallinn, capital of Estonia, on Wednesday, representing the region's first direct air cargo route to the Baltic Sea area.

The route is operated once weekly by a Boeing 767 freighter with a single-trip flight time of approximately 11 hours. Compared to conventional aircraft, it offers a 30 percent increase in cargo capacity, primarily transporting light industrial products such as garments and daily necessities, thereby cutting logistics costs.

This route enables Chinese sellers to directly connect with e-commerce platforms from northern Europe and helps improve the shopping experience for consumers in northern Europe, said Feng Liang, general manager of Xinjiang Wanshengtong Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.

To date, Urumqi, the capital city of the region, has established 20 international cargo routes to 20 cities, including 12 European routes covering major hubs in northern, eastern and western Europe.

From January to April this year, the customs at the Urumqi airport handled 1,584 cargo flights, a surge of 1,157.1 percent year on year, with the cargo throughput reaching 26,000 tonnes, up 522.2 percent year on year.

Zhao Beijing, an official with the customs, said the regular operation of multiple international air routes will help Xinjiang's cross-border e-commerce firms expand their footprints in overseas markets, promoting exports of textiles, electronics and other competitive industries so as to further facilitate trade under the Belt and Road Initiative.

(Cover:  A view of Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 6, 2025. /VCG)