Promising future

Despite the pressure it faces, Shenzhen airport has overcome challenges and enhanced its freight capacity. The changes it has made mainly in response to the pandemic may prove crucial to its ambitions of consolidating competitiveness in cargo handling and becoming an international cargo transportation hub.

Wan said cold-chain delivery of medicines and other high-value products, such as seafood and fruit, will be a major area for growth.

The progress made at Shenzhen airport reflects China's efforts to catch up with global air freight leaders.

Mao Lingke, senior logistics adviser at Cainiao Global Supply Chain, said the pandemic has exposed the country's weak point in air cargo transportation.

China's airfreight sector has lagged behind some developed countries in building a business ecosystem for cargo flights, international airlines and airport facilities.

The pandemic has shown the strategic significance of airfreight in maintaining global supply chains, as these shipments involve high-value-added commodities such as biomedicines and high-tech instruments.

At a State Council meeting in March last year, the central government pledged a range of initiatives to strengthen international air freight capacity. The measures included policies aimed at encouraging aviation companies to buy or rent more cargo planes, relaxing restrictions on cargo airlines' operations, and establishing information sharing platforms among logistics companies.