CHONGQING - Southwest China's Chongqing municipality will soon open an international air cargo route that will link the metropolis with the United States and Australia.

The weekly route will link Sydney, Chongqing, Shanghai, Chicago and New York, sources with Chongqing's port and channel management bureau said Monday.

It is the 14th international regular cargo airline opened by the Chongqing Airport, and the first freight route in China's central and western regions, to be linked with Australia, the sources said.

Chongqing is building itself into a major center for laptop assembly, with this year's output expected to hit 50 million units. The opening of the new airline will facilitate the delivery of IT products from Chongqing to the North American and Australian markets, the sources said.

The international air freight volume at Chongqing Airport is likely to exceed 100,000 tonnes this year, according to the sources.