A passenger plane full with cargos set off from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, heading for London on Feb 28. As the first passenger plane that has transferred for international cargo transportation departing from Hangzhou, the flight marked Hangzhou’s aviation logistics has stepped onto a new level.

The flight, capable of carrying 30 to 32 tons of cargos, is expected to fly on every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It will ease logistics pressure caused by the pandemic.

As the pandemic hampers international travel, international passenger flights are cut sharply, causing decreased cargo transportation capability.

Shi Huangkai, an official with Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said that the cargo transportation carried by passenger planes is expected to optimize Hangzhou’s overall logistics network. “We hope with the improvement of infrastructure construction, cross-border trade in Hangzhou will have better opportunities,” he said.

In the freight station of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, packaged cargos are lined up to be loaded onto planes. They are mainly goods of cross-border e-commerce companies.

Although the whole industry has been recovering from the pandemic in 2020, pace of its development has been hampered due to lack of transportation.

Gu Hiafeng, deputy general manager of Hangzhou JCEX International Logistics Co, said that the new flights are to ease the awkward situation. “This direct flight to London saves at least 48 hours of transportation time and 5 to 8 yuan ($0.77-$1.24) per kg of fees. Clients in the UK can receive their goods within five working days at relatively low transportation fee,” he said.