Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) in China’s Henan province opened its new north cargo terminal for business on 16 August.

The 160,000-sqm facility will add 600,000 tonnes of freight capacity at the Chinese airport, bringing the air hub’s total air cargo capacity to 1.1 million tonnes.

Freight forwarder Dimerco Express declared that it worked with Cathay Pacific to arrange its first flight to the new cargo terminal at the Zhengzhou air hub.

The new high-tech facility features advanced automation for scanning, weighing and moving cargo within the terminal. It also offers a large cold chain area, a new customs inspection area, as well as 101 shipping docks.

According to Dimerco, development of the airport is a strategic priority for the Chinese government with an investment of CYR4.88 billion over the next decade to expand passenger and cargo capacity.

The Chinese airport in Henan province plans to have five runways and three cargo zones by 2035, with the capacity to serve 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo per annum by such time.

The government in China looks to spend US$712 million for 1.7 billion square feet of cargo infrastructure, which covers 754 million square feet for the North Cargo Terminal.

Other operators seen at the new cargo terminal at Zhengzhou Airport include Hainan Airlines and Volga-Dnepr. More than 400,000 tonnes of cargo and mail have passed through the Chinese airport year to date, with international cargo volumes up 8.8 percent to 330,000 tonnes.