All-cargo airline linking Jinan, Japan opens

A cargo plane packed with Chinese products departed from Jinan on Dec 8, bound for the city of Osaka, marking the debut of a specialist cargo air airline linking the capital of East China's Shandong province and Japan.

The goods being airlifted included clothing, bags, mobile phones, electronic products, mechanical accessories, stationery and sporting goods, 80 percent of which were from Shandong province.

The new flight runs between Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport and Kansai Airport in Osaka. During trial operations in December, there will be two flights per week, but that number will gradually increase to five flights per week.

Airport officials said that this is the first all-cargo route to Japan since the opening of Jinan's international airport.

Osaka is an important cargo hub in East Asia and it is within 320 kilometers of the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya. Goods in Osaka can be delivered to most Japanese markets within 12 hours.

Officials said the opening of the new cargo airline will facilitate the delivery of products such as high-end textiles, electronics and cosmetics from Japan to China.

Jinan is home to booming high-tech industries and advanced equipment manufacturing, providing sufficient high value-added goods to support a commercial cargo airline.

Officials said the opening of the route will allow the city to build itself into a regional logistics center combining land, sea and air transport.

This year, Jinan has opened eight new international air routes. To date, the city has a total of 26 international routes, linking 25 cities in 14 countries.