BEIJING, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 21, a Boeing 747-400 made its first Air China Cargo flight from Chengdu to Shanghai. Using Air China Cargo's network, shipments from Europe can be quickly transported to Chengdu, and goods from Chengdu can now be easily transported through the Air China hub in Shanghai to the rest of the world. The new air shipping corridor is another step in China's campaign to develop the western part of the country.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110509/CN97811)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080625/CNW017LOGO)

To promote the development of Chengdu as an aviation hub, Air China Cargo has launched a Milan-Chengdu-Shanghai shipping route. The route is flown twice weekly using Boeing 747-400 cargo freighters. Chengdu will also dock 42 international cargo routes from Shanghai, making Chengdu accessible to the world and making the world accessible to Chengdu.

Air China Cargo currently has nine Boeing 747-400 aircraft in its fleet - the most of any airline operating in China's civil aviation industry. The airline has opened cargo flights that depart from Shanghai to Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Vienna, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Taipei, Tokyo and Osaka. Air China Cargo has exclusive rights to use the cargo holds of 280 of Air China's passenger aircrafts. Through Air China's global network, Air China Cargo ships to 128 destinations in 29 countries using nearly 300 routes. Cargo space on passenger aircraft and freighters is served by 622 ground shipping routes to ensure the efficient transport of goods around the world.

Air China: Carrying China, Spanning the World

Air China is China's only national flag carrier and a Star Alliance member. In addition to commercial operations, it also provides special flight services for the country's state leaders on official visit to other countries. With a fleet of 280 Airbus and Boeing aircraft (including 266 passenger airliners and 9 freighters), 1 training plane and 4 business jets, we run 266 routes - 69 international, 13 regional, and 184 domestic - serving a total of 137 cities, including 42 international, 3 regional and 92 domestic, in 29 countries and regions. We offer over 6,900 flights with over 1,000,000 seats every week.

For more information, please visit Air China's website at http://www.airchina.com, or call Air China's service hotline at 4008-100-999.

SOURCE Air China