UAE’s Etihad Airways and China’s CGO to create ‘Air Silk Road’

UAE’s Etihad Airways and China’s Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport aim to jointly create an ‘Air Silk Road’ between Henan Province and Abu Dhabi, as well as expanding CGO airport into an air freight hub in the region. Etihad Airways also plans to operate freighter operations between Zhengzhou and Abu Dhabi in 2022 subject to regulatory approvals. Etihad Airways and Henan Province Airport Group, the parent company of CGO, an important domestic aviation hub and the gateway to the central region of China, thus will establish a strategic partnership to strengthen aviation ties between the UAE and China. This follows the signing of a virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the virtual ‘Zhengzhou Week’ event hosted by Expo 2020 Dubai China Pavilion starting from December 27, 2021. The MoU contains plans for Etihad’s potential operation of regular cargo services between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and CGO to create the ‘Air Silk Road’ between Henan Province and the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The MoU also covers scope of cooperation between the two parties to build the CGO airport into an air freight hub in the region, and to diversify product sales and cargo distribution channels at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.<br/>