China opens 80 new international air cargo routes in first five months of 2026

China opened 80 new international air cargo routes in the first five months of 2026, according to data released by the Air Logistics Committee of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP) as of May 31st.

The newly launched routes mainly link China to Europe and elsewhere in Asia: 35 connect China with Europe, 33 with Asia, 10 with North America, one with South America and one with Africa.

In May alone, China opened 11 new international air cargo routes: seven to Asia, three to Europe and one to North America.

The cargo transported on the newly opened routes mainly consists of cross-border e-commerce goods, high-end manufactured products, high-value-added goods and fresh produce.

Peng Chun, deputy director of the Department of Logistics Management at Beijing Jiaotong University, said the steady expansion of China's international air cargo network helps ease pressure on maritime and rail transport while providing efficient logistics support for high-value-added exports.

"More importantly, the increase in air cargo routes helps strengthen China's independent transportation capacity and safeguard supply chain security," Peng said.