DFW International Airport Welcomes New Air China Cargo Freighter Service

(DFW AIRPORT, TX – August 26, 2011) – DFW International Airport today welcomed the first of what will be three Air China Cargo freighter flights a week, bringing DFW additional cargo lift capability to Shanghai and a new connection to a strategically important destination. The inaugural flight, a Boeing 747-400F freighter, was welcomed with DFW’s traditional “shower of affection” water cannon salute as it arrived at the International Cargo Centre on the Airport’s west side.

“We are extremely pleased to open new avenues of trade from Texas to China, so this is a big day for us,” said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW International Airport. “China continues to be a tremendously important market for DFW, and this new Air China Cargo service certainly provides an excellent opportunity for regional businesses to ship goods quickly.”

Air China Cargo, the largest freight carrier in China, will fly a route from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Anchorage, then on to DFW, Chicago O’Hare, and back to Anchorage and Shanghai. It will arrive at DFW on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The new flights continue DFW’s impressive growth in its cargo business over the past decade, as Asian freighter business has grown over 11% annually since 2000. 

China is DFW’s largest air cargo trading partner, with over 133,000 metric tonnes of air cargo shipped in 2010. Almost half of DFW’s imports from China consist of communications equipment (cellular phones, televisions, radios and components), while the Dallas-Fort Worth region exports numerous commodity groups including high technology and oil & gas exploration equipment to China.

DFW offers cargo carriers many attractive amenities including seven unrestricted runways, tremendous cargo warehousing space, and the ability to have shipments onto a major highway very quickly after arrival.