On the afternoon of November 1, a Central Airlines Boeing 737-800F freighter lifted off from Jiaxing Nanhu Airport (JNH) in Zhejiang province and flew direct to Tokyo Narita (NRT) in about three hours; the same day, the Jiaxing-Osaka Kansai (KIX) cargo service completed its maiden flight. According to Zhejiang Daily's Chaoxinwen and the Nanhu release, these are the first direct Japan cargo routes opened since Jiaxing Nanhu Airport began temporary port operations, with both services operating Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday — five flights per week each.
Central Airlines operates the routes. Previously, international cargo at Jiaxing Nanhu was handled mainly by YTO Airlines, Jinpeng Airlines and China Post; Central's entry signals that the airport's spillover effect as a public cargo platform is starting to show. The airport stresses its layout advantage of a cargo terminal adjacent to the apron: goods travel as little as 100 metres from landing to warehouse intake, local shippers can clear customs and depart from Jiaxing itself, and Japan-bound cargo can leave the same day for fast direct delivery.
On volumes, Jiaxing Customs statistics show 242 inbound and outbound flights and more than 7,300 tonnes of import-export cargo at Jiaxing Nanhu Airport as of October 31. Since the inaugural international cargo flight to Dhaka on May 28, routes to Budapest, Los Angeles, Luxembourg and Chicago have followed. An official at the Jiaxing air port said more Asian routes including Seoul, plus additional Europe and Americas services, are being pursued. Local authorities also say expansion of the Jiaxing Comprehensive Bonded Zone (Nanhu airport block) is under way, serving precision manufacturing, aviation supply, cold-chain logistics and cross-border e-commerce across a 147-square-kilometre airport economic zone.
On pricing, air cargo data firm WorldACD's week 43 (October 19-25) figures, carried by Asian Aviation and Reuters affiliate ZAWYA on November 2, show global spot rates up 5% week on week to USD 3.80/kg and 38% higher year on year; the full-market average blending spot and contract rates reached USD 3.33/kg, up 31% year on year (all reference rates). By lane, Asia Pacific to the US stood at USD 7.43/kg, up 41% year on year, with Japan-origin rates up 14% week on week and 59% year on year; Asia Pacific to Europe was USD 5.10/kg. Global capacity slipped 1% week on week while volumes fell 2% week on week but remained 2% higher year on year. WorldACD expects sustained high rates to rise further in the weeks before Christmas, given elevated fuel costs and restricted Middle East airspace.
For exporters in the Yangtze River Delta, the practical value of the new routes is diversion and backup capacity. First, precision electronics, auto parts and high-value goods from Jiaxing and nearby can ship locally instead of trucking to Shanghai Pudong or Hangzhou Xiaoshan. Second, when Pudong and Xiaoshan space tightens in peak season, a five-times-weekly direct option is now available. Three caveats apply: the 737-800F freighter's per-flight payload is not comparable with widebody freighters, so large consignments still belong at hub airports; cut-off times and acceptance standards for dangerous goods and battery-powered cargo follow the carrier's and ground handler's formal notices and must be confirmed shipment by shipment; and Japanese import declaration and reverse-calculation scrutiny has tightened in recent years, so invoices, packing lists and air waybills must match exactly.
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