A cargo freighter loaded with more than 100 tons of goods including anti-epidemic supplies, mechanic parts and electronic accessories, leaves Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on April 9 for Frankfurt, Germany. [Photo/caacnews.com.cn] 

A cargo freight plane loaded with more than 100 tons of goods, including anti-epidemic supplies, mechanic parts and electronic accessories, left Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on April 9 for Frankfurt, Germany.

The flight is Ningbo's first direct cargo-only flight to Frankfurt, and the third cargo-only route the city has opened this year, after direct cargo-only routes to Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, and Tokyo, capital of Japan, launched last month.

To date, the Ningbo airport has opened a total of nine cargo routes with 34 flights per week.

Frankfurt airport is the largest air cargo hub in Europe and the largest transit point to major cities in central and eastern Europe. 

The freighter route connecting Ningbo and Frankfurt is scheduled to operate two flights a week, with a maximum capacity of 110 tons per flight.

The number of flights has been significantly reduced nationwide since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Ningbo is no exception. The number of flights in the city has been cut in half, which has caused difficulties for air cargo transportation, especially cargo bound for overseas, said an employee at the Ningbo airport. 

He added that that the opening of new cargo lines will improve the city's air cargo capacity and efficiency.

"After the outbreak, goods could only be shipped to and from Ningbo through airports in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, which reduced the efficiency of shipping and increased logistics costs."

The airport's move to open new freighter routes will not only benefit local manufacturing enterprises in their efforts to resume production, but will also boost overall confidence in the foreign trade industry, local experts said. 

Meanwhile, the Ningbo airport has made great efforts to aid in the battle against COVID-19. As of the end of March, all airlines in the airport had transported 379.7 tons of medical supplies for epidemic prevention via its specially established green channels.