On July 27, 2025, CMA CGM Air Cargo officially inaugurated scheduled freight services connecting Urumqi, China, with Paris, France, and Madrid, Spain.

Urumqi has become CMA CGM Air Cargo's fifth strategic hub in China, joining Shanghai Pudong, Hong Kong, Zhengzhou, and Guangzhou. These new routes establish the first regular air cargo corridor linking western China with key European markets.

At 2:02 a.m. on July 27, 2025, 2C058 flight from Paris landed smoothly at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport. After loading 57 tons of cross-border e-commerce goods, the aircraft departed at 5:23 a.m. for its return trip, marking a successful first flight.

Sun Xiaoyu, deputy director of the Urumqi International Land Port and Airport Economic Zone Management Committee, said, "CMA CGM's presence enables us to ship cross-border e-commerce goods from other parts of China to Europe while importing premium European products like French seafood, Spanish ham, fresh goods, and high-end fashion into China. Xinjiang acts as a distribution hub, forwarding these goods nationwide. This strengthens our role as an international return-cargo distribution center and regional logistics hub, significantly boosting Xinjiang's economy. Our goal is to evolve from transit logistics to localized industrial growth. We will leverage logistics to expand trade, use trade to spur industry, and thereby foster long-term development."

The Urumqi-Paris route will operate four weekly flights using A330-200F freighters, with an annual capacity exceeding 15,000 tons, which is over one-third of Urumqi Tianshan International Airport's international cargo volume in 2024. An additional weekly flight will connect Urumqi to Madrid via Paris.

Zhulituzi Azhatibek, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Airport Group Tianyi International Logistics, said, "The new Urumqi-Paris route, which takes about nine hours, eliminates the need for transshipment, cutting airfreight costs by five yuan per kilogram. Projected annual savings reach 75 million yuan (about 10.39 million U.S. dollars). Later this year, we plan to launch Urumqi-Madrid, Urumqi-Larnaca, and Urumqi-Karachi routes, optimizing our network to drive regional growth."

As western China's premier aviation hub for Central Asia and Europe, Urumqi Tianshan International Airport added six cargo routes in the first half of 2025, including destinations such as Islamabad, Belgrade, and Bucharest. This expansion brings its total network to 30, covering across 20 countries and regions. By July 25, 2025, international cargo throughput reached 55,000 tons, marking a 300 percent year-on-year increase that underscores the airport's growing logistics efficiency.

Zhao Zijing, border inspection director at Urumqi Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, said, "We now process 16 cargo flights daily, a 545 percent year-on-year surge. Our dedicated teams and strategically positioned inspection points enable customized, efficient clearance for each aircraft."

The two routes were secured within two months by Urumqi's port authorities. As a key gateway for China's westward opening-up, Urumqi is accelerating its development into a national air logistics hub and a composite international aviation gateway connecting Europe, Central Asia, and West Asia, leveraging its optimal flight distance to Europe.

Urumqi, a pivotal gateway for China's westward expansion, is rapidly transforming into a national air logistics hub and a multifunctional international aviation center bridging Europe with Central and West Asia, capitalizing on its strategic flight distance to Europe.

(Source: Urumqi Radio and Television Station)