Bournemouth Airport’s Cargo First business is anticipating more air freight coming in from Chengdu in China, as partner airline European Cargo added a third aircraft now dedicated to the route.

The carrier now operates up to nine flights a week with around 700 tonnes of import capacity on the route, which is exclusively served by its fleet of Airbus A340 wide-bodied freighters, each with a capacity of 76 tonnes.

The all-cargo operator said it will continue to expand its portfolio, with new agreements in place through 2024, as well as additional capacity coming on stream in the first quarter.

European Cargo’s capacity on the e-commerce route has tripled in the six months since Shenzhen Sharing Express Logistic-Tech Ltd started the route between Chengdu (CTU) in China and BOH in April, with three flights per week.

The growing importance of the route as an e-commerce gateway was underlined by a reciprocal trade mission, which saw the signing of a cargo development agreement between Sichuan Province Airport Group Company and Regional & City Airports (owner of Bournemouth Airport) to provide a stable logistics channel for the import and export of e-commerce goods.