An aerial view of Jiaxing Nanhu Airport. [Photo/WeChat account: jxfabu]

Jiaxing Nanhu Airport, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region's first dedicated air cargo hub, has handled 408 metric tons of import and export cargo worth 30.26 million yuan ($4.47 million) from May 28, when it launched its first international freight route, to June 11.

The airport's inaugural international cargo service connected Jiaxing in East China's Zhejiang province with Dhaka, Bangladesh. Most shipments have consisted of textile fabrics and garment accessories, products that support Bangladesh's large apparel manufacturing industry.

Local businesses such as Jiashan Dongnan Garment Accessory have already benefited from the new route. Previously, urgent shipments often had to be transferred through other Chinese airports, which increased delivery times and costs. With direct flights from Jiaxing, cargo can reach Dhaka in about four and a half hours.

More than 10 Jiaxing-based companies started using the airport's international cargo services. The network also serves businesses from major foreign trade hubs in the YRD region, including Shanghai, Changzhou, Shaoxing, and Yiwu. This direct service allows companies to complete customs procedures locally while reducing warehousing and domestic transportation costs.

During its first half-month of operation, the airport handled 18 international cargo flights, and it plans to launch a new cargo route to Budapest, Hungary, before the end of June. With additional routes and rising trade demand, import and export cargo volumes are expected to surpass 10,000 metric tons by August.