(Yicai Global) Nov. 28 -- Ezhou Huahu Airport, the first air freight airport in Asia and the fourth of its kind in the world, inaugurated its first all-cargo route yesterday between Ezhou in China’s Hubei province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.

The route was opened by Chinese logistics services giant SF Express Group. The company said the route will connect the central region of China with the more economically developed Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

SF Express is also preparing to launch more routes and it revealed that early next month, the airport will open another all-cargo route from Ezhou to Shanghai. The plan is to open more than 40 cargo routes and more than five new passenger routes next year, the company said.

The airport has opened five passenger routes to cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Xiamen since July.

Ye Qing, a member of the Pangoal Institution and a professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, told Yicai Global that the business generated by the cargo routes will benefit Wuhan's metropolitan area and the rest of Hubei.

He said that in the future, Ezhou Huahu Airport and Guangzhou Tianhe Airport will form a set of hubs for passenger and cargo transportation, creating a high-end, green and intelligent "air outlet" for Hubei.

Editors: Shi Yi, Tom Litting