The 'Air Silk Road' Makes Henan Soar

The 'Air Silk Road' Makes Henan Soar

守好“空中丝绸之路” 河南要飞得更高更远

 

The Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" Forum for International Cooperation, China's first national-level forum themed on the "Air Silk Road" and the grandest forum ever hosted in Central China's Henan province, opens today (November 16).

郑州—卢森堡“空中丝绸之路”国际合作论坛11月16日在郑州举办。本次论坛不仅是全国范围内唯一以“空中丝绸之路”为主题的国家级论坛，也是目前河南省承办层级最高的论坛。

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During a meeting with Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on June 14, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China supports building an Air Silk Road between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou. On February 6, 2022, President Xi once again stressed the importance of expanding and strengthening the Air Silk Road during his meeting with Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

2017年6月14日，国家主席习近平在会见卢森堡首相贝泰尔时明确提出支持建设郑州—卢森堡“空中丝绸之路”。2022年2月6日，习近平主席在会见卢森堡大公亨利时再次强调要做大做强中卢货运航线“空中丝路”。

A cargo plane of Cargolux in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

Over the past 5 years, Henan has basically formed a hub-and-spoke airline network taking Zhengzhou as the core and covering major economies in the world by further expanding the coverage of the "Air Silk Road" and taking the advantages of the two freight hubs -- Zhengzhou and Luxembourg. So far, the "Air Silk Road" has become a highlight of Henan's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

5年来，河南着力提升“空中丝绸之路”辐射能力，持续实施郑州—卢森堡“双枢纽”战略，逐步构建形成了以郑州为枢纽、基本覆盖全球主要经济体的枢纽航线网络，郑州—卢森堡“空中丝绸之路”已成为河南参与“一带一路”建设的生动实践和亮丽名片。

Cargo planes of Cargolux in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

Cargo transported on the "Air Silk Road" has expanded from the traditional light industrial products only to over 200 kinds of more than 10 categories covering precision instruments, live animals, etc., such as French ponies, Dutch fresh-cut flowers and Danish salmon. Now, Cargolux in Zhengzhou regularly operates 8 intercontinental cargo routes covering over 100 cities in 24 countries in Europe, America and Asia. The weekly flights in Zhengzhou have been increased from 2 to 14 (29 during the peak season), exceeding the total of Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen. So far, Cargolux has operated over 5,500 flights in Zhengzhou. Of Zhengzhou airport's total international cargo volume, over 930 thousand tons were contributed by Cargolux. Powered by the Air Silk Road, Zhengzhou airport has become one of the world's top 40 airports in terms of air cargo capacity.

法国小矮马、荷兰鲜切花、丹麦三文鱼……开航至今，郑州—卢森堡“空中丝路”运输货物种类，由单一的传统轻工业品逐步发展到涵盖精密仪器、活体动物等10余大类200多个品种。卢森堡货航常态化运营以郑州为中心的8条洲际货运航线，航线网络覆盖欧美亚3大洲的24个国家100多个城市；定期航班由每周2班加密至每周14班，超过卢森堡货航在上海、北京、厦门所投运力之和，最多时每周达到29班；目前已累计运营超过5500个航班，为郑州枢纽贡献货运量超过93万吨，推动郑州机场跻身全球货运40强。

A cargo plane of Silk Way Airlines in Zhengzhou. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

It is worth noting that the "Air Silk Road" has never been suspended even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Batches of medical supplies have been transported via this route. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel praised the "Air Silk Road" as a vital lifeline for the world as a bridge in the air during the pandemic.

新冠疫情期间，郑卢“空中丝路”始终不断航、不停飞，双向运送医疗救援物资，被卢森堡首相贝泰尔赞誉为疫情期间卢森堡及其他欧洲地区的“生命线”，是一条雪中送炭的“空中桥梁”。（中文来源/大河网 编译/赵汉青 杨佳欣 视频/何蒙贺 海报/张谷臻 审校/陈行洁）