In the first half of this year, my country's aviation logistics industry has moved steadily in the face of many challenges and delivered a brilliant "report card". Driven by the explosive growth of cross-border e-commerce, international freight demand continues to be strong, and professional freight hubs are accelerating their formation, which has promoted the industry to further move towards a "quality" leap while achieving steady growth in "quantity", providing key support for smoothing the circulation of the national economy and enhancing foreign trade resilience.

The steady development of the route network is gradually improved

Air cargo is highly related to the development of economy and trade. In the first half of this year, my country's GDP grew by 5.3%, and the continued economic growth laid a good foundation for the development of air cargo. Overall, in the first half of this year, my country's air logistics achieved steady growth in the scale of transportation, and the route network was continuously optimized, especially the international routes performed well, becoming an important growth point for the industry's development.

According to statistics, in the first half of this year, my country's air cargo and mail transportation volume reached 4.784 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%, an increase of 36% over the same period in 2019. Among them, domestic (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) routes were 2.747 million tons, an increase of 8.9% year-on-year; international routes were 2.037 million tons, an increase of 23.4% year-on-year.

Driven by cross-border e-commerce and other industries, the international market has become an important battlefield for industry competition. In the first half of the year, my country added 117 new international cargo routes, an increase of 58.1% year-on-year, and 233 cargo flights were added per week, providing strong guarantees for the expansion of transportation scale. Data shows that the proportion of international routes' transportation volume reached 42.6%, an increase of 3% year-on-year and 10% higher than the same period in 2019.

The new routes have helped my country's aviation logistics industry extend its tentacles to the global core market, and its geographical distribution also reflects the changes in global trade channels and the rise and fall of regional economic vitality. Up to now, my country has achieved navigation in 106 cities in 50 countries. Among the newly opened international cargo routes this year, Asia ranked first with 54, accounting for 46.2%. Following closely behind is Europe, with 45 new routes opening, accounting for 38.5%. 12 new cargo routes have been opened in North America, accounting for 10.3%. Two new routes were opened in South America, Oceania and Africa, indicating that emerging destinations are on the rise. Industry experts analyzed that in the first half of this year, trade exchanges between my country and Asia, especially ASEAN (China's largest trading partner) and Europe further deepened, and the importance of European countries such as Belgium and Hungary as European logistics distribution centers was highlighted. At the same time, with the combined pressure of US tariff adjustment, cancellation of minimum value parcel duty-free policy, and overdraft overdraft in the first half of the year, demand for air cargo in China and the United States has declined. The domestic route network has formed an air cargo channel with major urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas as the core, and has developed in coordination with international routes, greatly improving market coverage and enhancing industry competitiveness.

In addition, with the improvement of people's living standards and the upgrading of industrial structure, new high-value freight growth points are constantly being born. In the first half of the year, cross-border e-commerce became one of the most important supply markets in the aviation logistics industry. This demand for small batches, multiple frequency and high timeliness further enhanced the logistics supply capacity. Strategic emerging industries such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, high-end consumer electronics and high-tech equipment are accelerating their development and are becoming a new highlight of the aviation logistics market. In particular, the export of high-value-added products such as electric vehicles (exports increased by 13.1%), 3D printers (exports increased by 32.8%) and industrial robots (exports increased by 45.2%) have achieved double-digit growth, further supporting the prosperity of the air cargo market. in the country, fresh cold chain products have become the most frequently transported goods on newly opened routes. With its high value-added characteristics, special cargo is becoming the "new blue ocean" of the aviation logistics market, promoting the continuous optimization and upgrading of the transportation structure.

Escalate into supply chain organizers and accelerate growth of market entities

With the return of abdominal cabin capacity to the market and the steady expansion of the all-cargo fleet, my country's aviation logistics companies have entered a new stage of "value war".

As of the end of June this year, there were 17 cargo airlines nationwide and the number of cargo aircraft reached 249, an increase of 3 from last year. In the first half of this year, my country's aviation companies accounted for 44% of the international freight market, an increase of 4 percentage points year-on-year. Among the top 50 global air freight forwarding list released this year, a total of 14 Chinese companies are on the list, 4 more than last year.

At present, about 50% to 60% of the supply of goods in my country's aviation logistics market comes from cross-border e-commerce, and aviation logistics companies are deeply bound to leading platforms. With the intensification of international competition in cross-border e-commerce and the further integration of supply chains, e-commerce platforms require aviation logistics companies to provide full-chain services from operations, logistics, contract fulfillment to after-sales service.

Chen Feng, marketing manager of Tianjin Binhai Airport Logistics Company, believes that under the dual driving force of policy empowerment and market pressure, my country's aviation logistics companies are accelerating the construction of network coverage, digital capabilities and the provision of diversified comprehensive solutions to achieve the transformation from a single carrier to a comprehensive logistics service provider. In particular, the three major airlines build an intercontinental capacity network based on the capacity network of "all-cargo aircraft belly cabin resources". By introducing strategic investors, the capacity providers of heavy assets will be reorganized into supply chain ecological promoters that combine light and heavy assets, and better escort Chinese manufacturing and Chinese enterprises to "go overseas".

As of now, China Southern Airlines Logistics' Boeing 777 all-cargo aircraft fleet has reached 19, ranking first in China, and its service network covers more than 1,000 major cities around the world. In the first half of this year, China Southern Airlines Logistics actively introduced new cargo capacity to expand the global market, promote the construction of smart logistics, innovatively build a new aviation logistics ecosystem, and effectively utilize the fifth air rights to enhance the flexibility of the route network.

In order to enhance the service capabilities of aviation logistics, China Southern Airlines Logistics has created a "4×N" product matrix, consolidated the differentiated competitive advantages of express and intermodal products, promoted the implementation of new products such as dual front-end freight stations, cross-border e-commerce live-cargo transportation, order transfer and transfer, and realized the transformation from "single-link operation" to "industrial chain integration", from "international business" to "international operation", from "traditional freight" to "smart logistics",

In the first half of this year, China International Cargo Airlines Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Aircraft China") long-range cargo aircraft achieved safe flight of 45,600 hours, an increase of 61.62% year-on-year; the cargo and mail transportation volume was 902,100 tons, an increase of 24.79% year-on-year; the revenue of the air cargo sector increased by 16.51%, the revenue of the air cargo station sector increased by 2.15%, and the production scale and operation span were further expanded. In the first half of this year, the scale of the fleet and route structure of China's Air Cargo Aircraft Corporation were expanded and optimized, and the new capacity was added to effectively invest. By promoting the transformation of the platform-based business model of freight stations, quality improvement and efficiency improvement were achieved, and the layout of freight stations was highly matched with the route network, thereby improving corporate efficiency.

Since the beginning of this year, SF Express has fully utilized the core resource advantages of "hub international warehouse line linkage", expanded customer groups in emerging industries such as new energy vehicles and high-end manufacturing, explored the needs of new scenarios such as cultural tourism and instant retail, and created differentiated competitive advantages. In addition, SF Express operates overseas warehouses with an overseas area of ​​more than 2.5 million square meters, and at the same time, it uses the "air-air transit" fast transshipment of Ezhou freight hub to achieve efficient operation of all-round international freight stations, and leverages the convenient advantages of the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone to provide solid support for the performance growth of international and supply chain businesses.

Faced with strong market demand, aviation logistics companies have also enhanced their network access capabilities by adding integrated transportation centers, laying forward warehouses, and opening high-speed rail dedicated lines, providing customers with "hourly delivery" and "same-day delivery" services.

For example, China Eastern Airlines Logistics continues to enhance the adsorption capacity of the industrial chain in accordance with the idea of ​​"one route, one industry, and one ecosystem" and realizes the leap from the business chain to the ecosystem. In Chengdu, Sichuan, Ezhou, Hubei and other places, China Eastern Airlines Logistics actively deploys fresh food processing centers and classifies, packages and deep processing fresh food products introduced from Latin American countries, which has driven the agglomeration and development of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain such as cold chain distribution and transportation, cold chain warehousing, temporary maintenance and storage of fresh goods and their fine processing, distribution and retail, eliminating the long-link pain points of cross-border transportation of fresh food products, and promoting the industry to be "tightened" and "higher" value.

In addition, YTO Express Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "YTO Express") accelerates the application of artificial intelligence, continuously optimizes the cross-border logistics product matrix, and extends the cross-border logistics service link. As the core functional block of the global aviation logistics hub of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, the construction of YTO "Oriental World Port" has made key progress. After completion, it will be deeply integrated with YTO's global network, coordinate upstream and downstream industrial chain resources, enhance the resilience and international competitiveness of the regional industrial supply chain, and serve the new development pattern of domestic and international dual circulation.

At the same time, JD.com has intensively deployed more than 3,600 warehouses across the country, and has placed goods in front of the surrounding areas of consumption destinations, forming a network of super storage facilities covering the "last mile".

Industry experts suggest that in the face of the complex international economic environment and adjustment of the trade pattern, my country's aviation logistics companies must continuously strengthen and improve their independent and controllable aviation logistics networks, and consolidate and enhance their core competitiveness in the global supply chain through fleet structure optimization, digital transformation and global network layout.

Infrastructure and technology support the construction of aviation logistics hubs to speed up

Hub construction is the "skeletal system" and "strategic fulcrum" to promote the high-quality development of the aviation logistics industry. In the first half of this year, the international freight connectivity of my country's airports increased, the growth rate of freight hubs in the central and western regions led, and the construction of aviation logistics hubs accelerated toward a deeper, higher quality and more coordinated direction.

Data released by the Civil Aviation Administration shows that in the first half of this year, the cargo and mail throughput of domestic airports in my country reached 10.299 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%, and major cargo hub airports all achieved year-on-year growth. Among them, the cargo and mail throughput of Shanghai Pudong International Airport reached 1.91 million tons, ranking second among global hub airports, with a year-on-year increase of 4.9%; the cargo and mail throughput of Beijing Capital Airport was 746,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%; the cargo and mail throughput of Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport was 983,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 14.1%; the cargo and mail throughput of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was 1.169 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 2.0%. .

In line with the development trend of point-and-network integration, my country's aviation logistics hub concentration has been highlighted, the layout of the aviation logistics network has been more perfect, and international air cargo business has formed a "1 2 N" tiered development pattern. Specifically, Shanghai is in the first echelon, with 8 long-distance route markets in Shanghai Pudong International Airport, maintaining its leading position; "2" refers to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are the second echelon, with strong growth momentum; and in many distinctive and professional regional nodes, the "N" airport hubs rely on local characteristic industries to form a unique competitive advantage. The above-mentioned tiered pattern fully demonstrates that the international air cargo connectivity of my country's logistics hub is constantly increasing and is tending to diversify, which has played an important role in leading and supporting regional economic development.

In addition, in the first half of this year, the development of freight business in central and western my country's central and western hubs has achieved remarkable results. The cargo and mail throughput of Ezhou Huahu International Airport in the first half of the year reached 558,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 60.6%, of which the international cargo and mail throughput was 220,000 tons, accounting for 90% of its cargo and mail throughput for the whole year last year. The geometric growth of international freight volume is directly due to the rapid expansion of route networks. In the first half of this year, Ezhou Huahu International Airport added 14 new international routes, and the total number of international/regional routes exceeded 40, initially forming a global "8-hour traffic circle". The new route not only improves cargo turnover efficiency, but also attracts giants such as SF Express to continuously encrypt flights, driving the airport cargo volume from a "single-point breakthrough" to a "matrix output".

As an important gateway for my country's opening to the west, Xinjiang opened 8 new international freight routes in the first half of this year, with an international freight volume of 47,400 tons, a year-on-year increase of 7 times. Among them, the trade volume between Xinjiang and countries jointly built the "Belt and Road" reached 237.59 billion yuan, an increase of 17.9% year-on-year. Urumqi Tianshan International Airport has opened a cross-border multimodal transport channel of "rail trunk line air express line" to increase transportation time by more than 15%. In addition, it has also opened international cargo chartered routes to Tbilisi, Georgia, Barnaul, Russia, and opened belly cabin cargo business to passenger routes such as Astana, Kazakhstan and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. With the continuous agglomeration of air-side industries, cross-border direct purchase formats have become a new growth point.

Chengdu International Aviation Hub achieved a cargo and mail throughput of 572,000 tons in the first half of the year, of which the cargo and mail throughput of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport reached 216,200 tons and 355,600 tons respectively, with an increase of 24.43% and 21.68% respectively. This growth rate makes the air cargo volume in Chengdu, Sichuan account for more than 50% of the total cargo volume in the southwest region, further consolidating its position as a "million-ton" air cargo city.

As an important air cargo node in the country, Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport has integrated airspace and capacity resources to the greatest extent. Its cargo system presents the characteristics of "two-wheel drive" - ​​all-cargo aircraft focuses on efficient transportation of bulk cargo, and the passenger airliner's belly cabin achieves agile circulation of cargo "with passengers" with its advantages of multi-frequency flight network and wide coverage, and continuously injects vitality into regional economic development. Data shows that in the first half of this year, the cargo and mail throughput of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport reached 435,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 23.9%.

At the same time, the growth rate of freight business at some airports in my country began to slow down in June this year. Chen Wu said that this change indicates that the global air cargo market will face many pressures and variables in the second half of the year. In the face of tension in the geopolitical situation and the smoke of tariff trade war has not yet dissipated, industry experts suggest that we should strengthen the construction of hub channel networks, continuously optimize the rights of cargo and key resource allocation at all times, promote the coordinated integration of aviation logistics companies with manufacturing, cross-border e-commerce and other industries, use innovative technologies to eliminate business bottlenecks and difficulties, and enhance the expansion capabilities of emerging markets and the resilience of global air cargo channels. (China Civil Aviation Daily, China Civil Aviation Network reporter Tian Yidan)