ASL Airlines Belgium has launched its first all-cargo flight to Europe's Liege Airport (LGG) from Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) in western China
ASL Airlines Belgium has launched its first all-cargo flight to Europe's Liege Airport (LGG) from Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) in western China. For the Belgian airport, the flight represents the latest in a series of new links to China. In April, the carrier began piloting flights between Jinan Yaoqing International Airport (TNA) and LGG organised by Qingdao Haigu International Logistics Co. After six successful flights, the twice-weekly flights were regularised on May 8. In the future, a third weekly frequency may be added. More recently in July, Wuhan-based Uni-Top Airlines began serving LGG with three weekly flights from its main hub at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH), operated by Moldova-based Aerotrans Cargo.
Although each of the newly launched flights carries a mix of commodities, cross-border e-commerce is a driver of cargo flows in both directions. E-commerce industry news publication cifnews touts Liege's Logistics Park as a magnet for the parcel-carrying flights, reports New York's Air Cargo World.
Large e-tailers are taking note of Liege as well. In May, Alibaba's smart logistics platform, Cainiao Network, chose LGG as one of its key European hubs, as it moves forward with plans to make cross-border e-commerce deliveries faster and more efficient. Further details on Alibaba's plans in Liege are expected later this year.
