Hannover Airport's managing director Raoul Hille said there was strong demand in the Asian-Pacific freight sector for direct service to northern Europe and North Germany, in particular. Plus, he said, "There is significant savings potential for the logistics sector on account of the shorter operating times on the ground and, therefore, lower motorway charges and fuel costs."

"We are also making a strategic contribution to cut carbon dioxide emissions as part of the move away from fossil fuels by deliberately shortening the feeder services," Hillie continued.

Klaus Jäger, a member of K + N's management team in Central Europe, also praised the service, stating that it establishes an "excellent door-to-door product." "The launch of the regular cargo link between Hannover and Beijing is an important sign for all the logistics companies in the region that freight traffic is becoming more important at Hannover Airport - not only from a European point of view, but also across Asia," he said in a statement.

It seems that AirBridgeCargo Airlines is in expansion mode. In January, the Russian freight carrier launched thrice-weekly, Boeing 747-400 freight service to Chengdu International Airport. The route connects the capitol of the Sichuan province to major European destinations, including Moscow and Amsterdam, according to a press release.

AirBridgeCargo already has a routing through Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and Moscow Domodedovo Airport on route to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Adding Chengdu to the schedule enables the carrier to address Western China's booming high-tech industry, officials for the carrier remarked.