In September 2026, it was announced at the 4th China Aviation Association Aviation Conference that the "China Air Transport Development 2026" report was officially released. The report shows that by 2025, China's aviation logistics industry will usher in a historic leap, with the national civil aviation cargo and mail transportation volume exceeding 10 million tons for the first time, reaching 10.172 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. The international route completed a cargo and mail transportation volume of 4.4025 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 22.1%, accounting for over 40% of the total freight volume. As a key carrier supporting the stable operation of foreign trade and smooth global supply chain, air logistics is at a critical juncture of transitioning from scale expansion to quality and efficiency.

The vitality of the freight market continues

By 2025, 252 new freight routes will be opened nationwide, including 214 international routes; The total number of cargo planes reached 272, and the proportion of wide body planes increased to 22%; The total cargo volume of 24 airport type national logistics hubs accounts for over 85% of the national airport cargo volume. Entering 2026, the good development momentum of air cargo is still continuing. In August 2026, a total of 11 new international air cargo routes will be opened nationwide, including 7 Asian routes, 2 European routes, 1 African route, and 1 North American route. The cargo structure mainly consists of cross-border e-commerce goods, fresh seafood, agricultural products, electronic products, and electronic accessories.

Information platform accelerates interconnection

At the 4th China Aviation Association Aviation Conference, Wang Weijun, Deputy Director of the Transport Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, stated that efforts will be made to accelerate the construction of an aviation logistics public information service platform for data access, and to promote more airlines, airports, and platforms to achieve data interoperability. Support airport group related enterprises to leverage their resources and technological advantages, fill in the gaps in the overall civil aviation logistics information infrastructure, and further promote the full chain information interconnection of aviation logistics. The continuous improvement of hardware networks and the gradual breaking of information barriers are driving the continuous optimization of route layout and cargo structure. Keywords: strategic news and information, aviation logistics, freight transportation

Enhance the hub function during the 15th Five Year Plan period

The outline of the 15th Five Year Plan clearly proposes to promote the healthy and orderly development of international air cargo transportation, and sets the core direction for the future development of the industry. Han Jun, Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, stated at a press conference in July 2026 that during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the Civil Aviation Administration of China will enhance the cargo functions of aviation hubs, especially focusing on improving the international shipping service capabilities of international aviation hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. Enhance the functions of professional cargo hub airports such as Ezhou, and support relevant foreign trade provinces to enhance their international air cargo capacity by relying on hub airports. The current development logic of China's international air cargo has undergone a fundamental transformation, bidding farewell to the previous single scale expansion model and entering a high-quality development stage that emphasizes both structural optimization and risk prevention and control coordination.Editor/Gao Xue