China’s Air Cargo Trade Surges 46.39% on E-commerce Boom
China’s air cargo trade grew by 46.39% in the first half of 2026, driven by a complementary relationship between bulk general cargo and cross-border e-commerce small parcels, according to CCTV News. The surge highlights how the “air express” sector is becoming an increasingly vital artery for China’s foreign trade, with dedicated cargo hubs and new international routes reshaping the logistics landscape.
A New Hub Takes Flight in the Yangtze River Delta
At the center of this growth is Jiaxing Nanhu Airport, the Yangtze River Delta’s first dedicated air cargo hub. In late July, a Boeing 747 freighter carrying approximately 100 tons of cross-border e-commerce goods, electronics, and daily necessities departed for Los Angeles International Airport—the airport’s first North American cargo route and its first B747 freighter operation. As Zhejiang Online reported, the new route marks a key milestone in the airport’s global cargo network expansion.
“Previously, most of Jiaxing’s cargo going to the US had to go through Shanghai. With this direct route, the Yangtze River Delta region now has a new centralized departure point,” said Lü Zhenghao, Director of the Civil Aviation Division at the Jiaxing Transportation Bureau.
The Los Angeles route is the third international cargo route opened by the airport since May. The first, a Jiaxing-Dhaka route launched on May 28, primarily carries traditional light industrial goods such as textile fabrics and garment accessories, with over 50% of cargo sourced from Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and surrounding areas. The second, a Jiaxing-Budapest route opened on June 20, focuses on cross-border e-commerce small parcels, with cargo largely sourced from South China. As Xinhua News confirmed, the airport plans to open 19 more international cargo routes by year-end, bringing the total to 20—9 to Asia, 6 to Europe, and 5 to the Americas.
A Complementary Cargo Structure Emerges
Since the inaugural international cargo flight, Jiaxing Nanhu Airport has handled 77 international cargo flights with over 1,800 tons of import/export cargo. Song Jian, Section Chief of Jiaxing Customs Supervision Division 6, described the emerging pattern: “We have formed a complementary cargo structure of ‘bulk general cargo + cross-border e-commerce small parcels.’”
The airport’s strategic location is key to its success. Situated at the geometric center of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Ningbo—four “trillion-yuan” cities—Jiaxing has a 1.5-hour drive radius covering the Yangtze River Delta’s main cargo sources. As The Paper detailed, the airport’s 4E-level classification and 3,400-meter runway can handle large cargo aircraft at full load, with 33 of its 56 aircraft stands dedicated to cargo operations.
Yiwu’s E-commerce Engine Accelerates
Meanwhile, Yiwu—the world’s largest small commodities market—is leveraging air cargo to meet surging demand for time-sensitive products. In the first half of 2026, outbound goods and mail from Yiwu Air Port exceeded 3,731 tons, a year-on-year increase of 46.39%, with cross-border e-commerce cargo accounting for 70.17% of the total volume.
The demand is being driven by rapidly evolving consumer products. As Jiemian News noted, products like AI glasses, AI translators, and translation earphones are updated and iterated very quickly, with market enthusiasm lasting only a few months. This places extreme pressure on delivery times.
“AI products are selling very well on our side now,” said Chenglong, a Cameroonian buyer at Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center, who planned to purchase 2,000 pairs of AI glasses for markets in Africa and Brazil. “Because customers want to receive goods as soon as possible, I plan to use air freight since it’s the fastest.”
To meet this demand, Yiwu has expanded its transfer routes to seven, including new land-air intermodal routes like Yiwu-Shanghai-Los Angeles and air-to-air transfer routes like Yiwu-Guangzhou-Belgrade. As Sina Finance reported, these connections allow cargo to be consolidated, declared, and supervised at Yiwu Air Port before being transported to transit airports for direct access to international air networks.
Policy Support and Strategic Vision
The growth is supported by the “15th Five-Year Plan” for Port Modernization, which calls for promoting separate passenger and cargo functions at aviation ports and supporting the growth of dedicated cargo aviation ports. As Logistics Information Network reported, Jiaxing Nanhu Airport’s air port was the first in the Yangtze River Delta to receive temporary opening approval for cargo business during the plan period.
Industry experts see the development as part of a broader transformation. Yu Zhanfu, Chief Expert of Aerospace Business at Zhongda Consulting Group, noted that cross-border e-commerce cargo is the most likely to concentrate at Jiaxing, particularly small-parcel e-commerce goods from northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, and the Anhui hinterland. The airport’s role is not to compete with Shanghai Pudong but to complement it—handling cost-efficient cargo consolidation while Pudong focuses on international hub and intercontinental freight.
What’s Next
With YTO Airlines planning to deploy eight cargo aircraft at Jiaxing Nanhu Airport in 2026 and the airport targeting 20 international routes by year-end, the “radiating to Asia, reaching Europe and America” international route layout is taking shape. As Yunnan News noted in its republication of the CCTV report, the air express sector is playing an increasingly important role in China’s foreign trade.
For businesses across the Yangtze River Delta, the message is clear: China’s air cargo infrastructure is expanding rapidly, and the “air express” is becoming an indispensable channel for getting goods to global markets faster than ever before.