China’s air‑freight sector hits new milestones amid shift towards higher‑value cargo

According to China’s official industry updates, a three‑day aviation conference hosted by the China Air Transport Association is now in progress. At the event, the publication *China Air Transport Development (2026)* was released, confirming that China’s air logistics market keeps setting fresh records and maintains solid upward momentum.

The year 2025 marked a historic turning‑point for domestic air cargo operations. National air freight and mail volume exceeded one million tonnes for the very first time, reaching 1017.2 tonnes with a year‑on‑year rise of 13.3 per cent. International routes handled 440.25 tonnes of cargo and mail, representing a 22.1 per cent annual increase and accounting for more than 40 per cent of the overall freight total. Across the country, 252 new cargo flight routes were opened, of which 214 run international services. The fleet of dedicated freighter aircraft expanded to 272 units, with wide‑bodied models making up 22 per cent. Twenty‑four airport‑based national logistics hubs together generated over 85 per cent of all cargo throughput recorded at Chinese airports.

Air logistics acts as a critical underpinning for foreign trade and global supply‑chain networks. The sector is moving past simple volume expansion and entering a phase focused on quality‑driven performance improvements. Higher‑value consignments requiring tight delivery times are expected to make up an increasing share of total air cargo volumes. High‑value manufactured goods match well with the strengths of air transport in terms of speed, security and convenient handling. Mismatches between available capacity and actual market demand remain a central challenge for operators going forward.

Industry specialists are calling for further reorganisation of freight capacity arrangements to remedy existing operational shortcomings and respond to shifting market requirements. Civil aviation regulators identify digital and intelligent transformation as a core pathway for high‑quality industry development. Ongoing supply‑side structural reforms will be carried out across air‑logistics businesses.

Work will accelerate on data‑linkage construction for the public‑facing air‑logistics information platform. More airlines and airport operators will connect their internal systems to this shared infrastructure. Airport‑linked enterprises will draw on their resource and technological advantages to fill gaps within national logistics information facilities. Full‑chain data interoperability across the whole air cargo network will be progressively rolled out. Digital connectivity will support the industry as it adapts to evolving patterns of global merchandise movement.