The free trade port in southern China’s Hainan province has launched its first intercontinental air freight route, linking the provincial capital of Haikou with Amsterdam, Xinhua News reports. 

An all-cargo flight carrying 110 tonnes of goods took off from the Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK) bound for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on 8 November.

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This marks the first step of Hainan, China’s largest special economic zone, in building an international air cargo network and hub, the report read. 

The outbound cargo shipped by the flight consist of mainly electronic products and general commodities, whilst the inbound cargo comprised auto parts and e-commerce products. 

The launch of the air cargo route underlines Hainan free trade port‘s role as an integrated service hub of the international supply chain under the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Chinese authorities on 1 June released a master plan to make Hainan an international trading centre by 2050, with tariff-free imports and duty-free shopping.