Etihad Cargo has operated 329 flights from Ezhou Huahu Airport near Wuhan in east-central China, billed as Asia’s first dedicated freighter hub, to its Abu Dhabi hub at Zayed International Airport. Etihad’s inaugural flight was in August 2023, making it the first international airline to operate to Ezhou. The carrier says it has moved over 18,700 tonnes of export cargo in partnership with China’s SF Airlines on seven weekly freighter flights with traffic including pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, and perishables. The airport’s ground handling service has recently achieved IATA CEIV Pharma certification.
Ezhou Huahu now offers 36 international cargo routes and its cargo and mail throughput is projected to rank fifth nationwide.