The plane of YTO Express (Logistics) Co Ltd arrives at Yiwu Airport, Zhejiang province from Seoul, South Korea on Jan 22. [Photo/Xinhua]

Yiwu Airport in Zhejiang province launched a new flight route for all-cargo aircraft connecting Yiwu and Seoul, capital of South Korea on Jan 22.  

The route will be operated by YTO Express (Logistics) Co Ltd with three flights per week. The aircraft is a Boeing 737-300, which has a maximum payload of 14 metric tons. The goods will primarily be small commodities such as shoes, toys, garments and accessories, some of which will be transported to the United States.

Previously, the cargo transported from Yiwu to foreign cities used to be stored and transported in passenger planes. But with the establishment of the connection to Seoul, Yiwu Airport becomes Zhejiang's third airport with an all-cargo air freight route.

"The airport will give full play to the city's advantages in the production of commodities and e-commerce to develop the air logistics," said Wang Huanying, vice general manager of Zhejiang Yiwu Airport Management Co Ltd. She added that the airport is making contributions to the city's opening up to the outside world.

Yiwu Airport has been constantly undergoing upgrading in recent years with the aim of receiving different types of aircraft and having a greater range of facilities. In the future, it will introduce more companies from the field of aviation, and construct a logistics hub to develop the aviation-related economy of the city.

Workers unload the cargo from Seoul, South Korea at Yiwu Airport, Zhejiang on Jan 22. [Photo/Xinhua]